Paul Metsers

b. 27 November 1945, Noordwijk, Holland. In 1952, Metsers emigrated to New Zealand and was influenced by the American folk music that was available on record during the 60s. He bought his first guitar in 1963, and soon started writing songs. Metsers arrived in the UK in 1980, and spent almost two years touring round in a Volkswagen camper playing ‘floor spots’ in folk clubs to get himself noticed. He was rewarded with club and festival bookings the length and breadth of the country. The environment and ‘green issues’ have always figured largely in his songwriting, even before it became fashionable, and his first anti-pollution song, ‘Now Is The Time’, was written in 1969. By the time that Caution To The Wind was available, Metsers, was already established as an artist and performer of note. In The Hurricane’s Eye contained the excellent ‘Peace Must Come’, and ‘River Song’. The Paul Metsers Songbook, published in 1986, contained many of the songs from his first four albums, but only one that would appear on Fifth Quarter. He was able to combine a busy touring schedule with campaigning for environmental pressure groups, but in November 1989, he decided to devote more time to his family. Now living in Cumbria, and working as a joiner as well as keeping bees, Metsers still performs occasionally.