PAUL COMPTON

Instruments: Publisher
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth: Elkmont, Alabama

As senior vice president of Murrah Music Corporation, which was formed by renowned songwriter Roger Murrah, Paul Compton, a native of Limestone County, has helped nurture the company into an award-winning music publishing venture.

While serving as professional manager of the company, he helped Murrah Music achieve the distinction of being named "Billboard" magazine's Independent Publisher of the Year. He hopes to achieve even loftier goals of the growing company, which is home to six songwriters and its founder, Roger Murrah.

A native of Elkmont, Compton first joined Murrah Music as an intern while finishing school at Middle Tennessee State University. After years of singing in church and school choirs and playing in garage bands around the area as a teen, he decided to attend nearby Calhoun Community College. He transferred to MTSU to finish his degree. An internship with Murrah fueled his fire for the music business even more.

"My buddies and I had been bringing Roger these really bad songs we'd written for him to listen to," Compton said. "And he would always listen and be so gracious and diplomatic about them."

Compton continued, "He's such a mentor, and someone we looked up to, so I was thrilled at the chance to work for him. Not long after my second internship after going back to school, I heard the company had an opening. So I met with Roger, and he gave me a shot. I took the job and within a month, I placed my first song with Sammy Kershaw. That song, "National Working Woman's Holiday," later became a number one hit!"

Compton found Murrah Music's family atmosphere appealing and wholeheartedly agreed with its motto of being "large enough to serve you, but small enough to know where our hits are." After serving as the company's professional manager for four years, he was promoted to senior vice president, and is currently responsible for seeking staff writers and artists for the company, exploiting the catalog, negotiating contracts, producing demos, administering holds and cuts and a variety of other functions.

From Athens News Courier
December 26,1999
Wire Story from Nashville, TN