Paula Cole Biography

Paula Cole grew up in Rockport, Massachusetts, the daughter of an artist and musician. She studied performance and jazz at the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after graduation set her sights on a career in music. Cole established a unique sound that featured intelligent, insightful lyrics coupled with a sound perfect for the emergency of the alternative wave sweeping the nation in the 1990’s.

Her big break came with an invitation to join Peter Gabriel Booking Agent & Management" href="https://www.bookingentertainment.com/artists/adult/booking-peter-gabriel.php"> Peter Gabriel on tour in the early 1990’s. A record contract with Imago Records followed for Cole, and Harbinger was released in 1994. The failure of Imago was a temporary setback for Paula Cole, as her debut album was unable to garner the exposure it needed, but in 1995 she signed to Warner Brothers and the album was reissued.

Paula Cole’s second album, This Fire, featured the smash hit “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” which became Cole’s iconic song and a chart-topper for 1997. Following the success of the single and album, Paula joined artists such as Sarah McLachlan Booking Agent & Management" href="https://www.bookingentertainment.com/artists/adult/Sarah_McLachlan.php"> Sarah McLachlan for the Lilith Fair, and further solidified her fan base and popularity. A Grammy for Best New Artist came in 1998, and Paula Cole’s single "I Don't Want to Wait," featured on the hit television show Dawson's Creek, helped to pave the way for future success. Additional albums followed, including: Amen (1999), Courage (2007), Ithaca (2010), Raven (2013), and 7 (2015.)

Paula Cole continues to perform and record, even while she fulfills a role as a faculty member at her alma matter, the Berklee College of Music. Cole’s most recent album, Ballads, arrived in 2017. The album features the single “God Bless the Child.”