Paul & Paula ( Ray Hildebrand, born December 21, 1940, Joshua, Texas; Jill Jackson, born May 20, 1942, McCamey, Texas) were a pop singing duo, best known for their 1963 #1 hit record, "Hey Paula."

Biography

Hildebrand and Jackson were attending Howard Payne College in Brownwood, Texas in 1962 when a local disc jockey, Riney Jordan, asked listeners to come to the studio and sing their songs to help the American Cancer Society. The duo sang a song called "Hey Paula," which Hildebrand wrote, and were encouraged by everyone in town to make a record of it.

Shelby Singleton of Mercury Records eventually signed them, but not before changing their professional name (Singleton reasoned that a pair named Ray and Jill singing about "Hey, hey Paula" and "Hey, hey Paul" didn't quite make sense). The pairing of Paul & Paula was credited with inspiring other famous male/female pairings down the line, mostly from record companies that had originally turned the duo down in 1962: Jerry Butler was quickly paired with Betty Everett, and Marvin Gaye was paired with a number of female partners before Motown finally settled on Tammi Terrell.

The duo put out two regular albums and a Christmas-themed album after the success of "Hey Paula", which sold over two million copies in early 1963, charting to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the entire month of February. Their follow-up, "Young Lovers," reached #6 on the Billboard charts later in 1963.

In 1965, Hildebrand left the act to complete his college education, having decided that a future in show business was not for him. He made this decision in the middle of a Dick Clark Caravan of Stars road trip, and Clark had to fill in at the last minute.

Jackson went on with a solo career and Hildebrand returned to singing in the 1980s in the Christian duo Land & Hildebrand. Today, the twosome get together from time-to-time to sing as Paul & Paula for special events.

In 2002, Hildebrand and Jackson returned to Howard Payne College to be the homecoming guests of honor and Grand Marshalls.

Discography

Albums

• (1963) We Go Together
• (1963) Holiday for Teens
• (1964) Paul & Paula Sing for Young Lovers
• (1995) The Best of Paul & Paula
• (2000) Greatest Hits

Singles

• "Hey Paula" (1963)
• "Young Lovers" (1963)
• "First Quarrel" (1964)

See also

• Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1963

References

External links