RIP Paul Pena

Paul Pena, the blind blues singer/guitarist featured in the incredible documentary Genghis Blues, passed away earlier this month. I first heard of Mr. Pena when I rented the DVD from Netflix. He lived in a tiny San Francisco apartment and suffered from a pancreatic illness. He spent his time writing music and listening to short wave radio. He discovered a unique vocal style called throat singing from the tiny Asian country of Tuva and mastered it. Genghis Blues documents his trip to Tuva, where he competed in a national throat singing competition and treated like a visiting dignitary. Yet even at this high point in his life, he struggled with blindness, sickness and depression. His story affected me deeply.

I purchased a CD of music he recorded in the early seventies called New Train. It is an album of heartfelt blues sung in his easygoing voice, with songs about the transition from rural life to urban life, the longing for home, the need to stand on one's own. Incidentally, the album features his version of Jet Airliner, a song that the Steve Miller Band covered and made a hit. I grew to love it over many listens. I understand that he did not record much more than that and the soundtrack to Genghis Blues. I am saddened by the fact that this enormously talented man had to suffer so much. I hope he finds peace.