Paul Salos

Paul Salos was one of a kind. There will never to be another like him. He proudly served his country and left his mark on a grateful family, close friends as well as a community of Cadets, supporters, clients and fans around the world, who will miss him dearly. We mourn his loss together. Paul passed away on June 14th, 2024, while recovering from surgery at the V.A. Hospital in New Orleans Louisiana, shocking all that loved him.

Paul loved life…loved living and bringing joy to anyone who would give him a moment to dazzle them. His life was the embodiment of the adage that “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”. He loved nothing more than being an entertainer. The man took his craft seriously and ceaselessly honed his voice and stage presence. This was a quality that he would carry into other passions in his life. With so many incredible moments and obstacles overcome, it would be impossible to detail them all here, leaving what follows as rather summary to the great breadth of Paul’s storied and beautiful life.

Paul was born in Hell’s Kitchen, New York in 1936, a child of the great depression, his beginning was rooted in meager means. A strict Greek upbringing would be the foundation for a life governed by faith, frugality and belief in himself. His drive to be of service to his country led him to more than one failed attempt to enlist. Failing to get past the health check multiple times due to what was described to him as a heart abnormality, his persistence and deep faith would drive him to try one more time. The way he would tell it was that while deep in prayer that he heard a voice tell him to go and try again but this time in New Jersey…and he did try again. That physical yielded no evidence of any condition with his heart that would bar him from fulfilling his 1st dream to enlist and punch his ticket to the world.

While proudly serving his country Paul was immediately assigned to the entertainment brigade in the ‘Tops and Blues’ show that toured military bases around the world to countless service men and women. Though it was his Voice that carried him it would be remiss not to recognize the diverse talent of the man beyond his excellent Sinatra vocals. He was accomplished in sketch comedy, stand up, improv, impressions, stage acting, physical comedy, television acting and of course singing. His diverse “chops” would lay the foundation for a lifetime of entertainment after his service to our country came to an end. This journey started with partnering with his close friend into the comedy duo ‘Carmy and Paul, an act that would tour throughout the country for many many years.

Paul continued his commitment to a career of service with the Civil Air Patrol, where he had started before enlisting in the Air Force. As an accomplished pilot Paul was C.A.P ranking officer for 58 years. He served as Flight instructor to hundreds of cadets, as Safety Director for the state of Texas and as Commander of the Black Sheep Squadron-Strategic Air Command in Texas. Paul’s participation in the air search and rescue after the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Columbia’s break up over Texas and Louisiana would be honored with a medal of recognition in the effort to locate the shuttles wreckage in close coordination with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

And then there was a pivotal moment in this amazing life, little more than 35 years ago when Paul met the love of his life Jane. If you were to have asked him about how they met he would’ve have detailed how he had met her once before as an usher, seating her at his church, many years earlier and how smitten he was with her from the moment he saw her. Fate would bring them together to meet again serendipitously when they were both convinced that love was done with them. In each other Paul and Jane found the perfect companion. In Jane, Paul found a dedicated wife, a life long companion, an accomplished professional advocate and a literal “Who’s who” of women in the business community. In Paul, Jane found a man that was not intimidated by her success, respected her as an equal, a dedicated and loyal husband, someone that genuinely brought her joy and made her laugh and honored her by loving her entirely.

Together they would create an entertainment and management powerhouse in ‘Palace Productions’. Soon after its creation, Palace Productions services were in increasing demand, that led to the creation of a classic 12-piece band featuring Hollywood and Las Vegas style vocalists. Although Paul had been singing Sinatra for a long time, it was here that Paul began being marketed as “Paul Salos and the Let’s Dance Band”. Paul and Jane’s portfolio of success featured countless events and performances that would once again take Paul’s talents and love of entertaining worldwide. They were the preferred choice for weddings, corporate events, non-profit gala’s, main billing for many dignitaries, having performed for both Herbert Walker and George W. Bush as well as traveling to Dubai at the request of a Prince in the UAE.

Palace Productions was a platform for Paul to build a staggering and impressive career in partnership with the management and dedicated support of the love of his life. But fate was not done with Paul yet. In 2008 the NBC reality competition Americas Got Talent held auditions to compete on the show for season 3 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Paul didn’t hesitate on the opportunity and registered to audition. This video can be easily found on you tube and it is highly recommended that you watch it. There is no other more fitting or fully encompassing representation of everything that Paul was and his affect on people. At 71, he grabbed his fedora, confidently walked on stage, introduced himself to the then judges of the show, Pierce Morgan, David Hasselhoff and Sharon Osbourn, as well as an auditorium filled with other possible the contestants that will be here after referred to as the “competition” and proceeded to, as he would put it, “knock there socks off”. The briefly held looks of doubt for this 71 year old veteran and contestant from the judges melted away from the first sound of his voice as it filled the air with the Sound of Sinatra. Before he was finished with the 1st verse of ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ the looks of doubt yielded way to wide eyed looks of amazement that then turned in to the judges dancing to the music as the rest of the sudatorium all started to stand for the ovation that followed from everyone as Paul delivered every ounce of his expertise for the world to see. The “Competition” never stood a chance as he was quickly and unanimously voted to move on to Vegas where he would continue to compete, making it to the top 5 in the competition.

Paul would continue performing for many years. After relocating to the New Orleans area in 2018 to be nearer to family, each year would start with Paul telling his family that “maybe it was time to hang it up”, “that he didn’t know if there would continue to be interest in hiring him” and that maybe his performing days were over. And every year more calls would come from fans who had heard him before, somewhere in his worldwide performances and wanted him to perform for them too. Again, Fate was not done with Paul. Well into his eighties, Paul had found himself as a regular feature at the World War II Museum in New Orleans with his ageless Sinatra vocals alongside the talented professionals of the orchestra Paul would continue to sing, entertain and bring Joy to any that would allow him to dazzle them.