Paul Nash is a big man with an even bigger voice. At 6’3” and 235 lbs., the former competitive martial arts fighter and former World’s Strongest Man competitor stands out in a crowd, but it’s Paul’s voice that has him towering over the country music world. Paul’s power baritone evokes thoughts of Elvis Presley, James Hetfield, Tom Jones, Trace Adkins, and the Man in Black himself, Johnny Cash; and his stage presence is the stuff that legends are made of.

The natural-born asphalt cowboy with an inborn disdain for borders has been performing nearly all of his life, whether in church choirs, gospel choirs or with various bands over the years. But like Garth Brooks before him, Paul finally found his home in new country music, where the musical rivers of southern rock, gospel, blues and traditional country blend into something truly special.

Paul is a force majeure on stage, stomping the boards with an intensity and authenticity that is compelling. He can go from a dulcet whisper to a rocker’s belt in a heartbeat, covering all of the bases in between with a three and-a-half octave range. Paul performs on the edge because he lives on the edge. When away from the stage and studio, Paul is an Extreme Sports gold medalist; a member of the winning 2006 Wingsuit World Competition team.

Given his background, you might expect Paul Nash to be more of a heavy rocker, but he sounds right at home on his debut album, Crossing That Line. The album, recorded at the Cash Cabin Studio, features several Cash family and friends, including John Carter Cash (Executive Producer); Chuck Turner (Producer); Laura Cash (Fiddle), and Dave Roe (bass). Other Nashville illuminati involved in the project include Bob Britt (Wynona Judd); Kenny Vaughan and Tommy Hinson (Marty Stuart); Sarah Peassal (Peassal Sisters) and Rebecca Lynn Howard. Musically the album is flawless; and Nash performs with a blend of hope and petulance that speaks of the rebellious spirit of early rock and roll.

Coming from the Great Northwest, Paul is much attuned to nature; a quality he attributes in part to his Pequot Indian ancestry. Paul also credits a stubborn nature and lack of respect for bullshit masking as authority to his lineage. In another day and age he might have been a cowboy bard, riding the great plains and mountain passes in search of adventure and the next great song or the next big shootout, whichever came first. As it is, Paul roams the great Northwest and the lower 48 on one of several iron horses. Whether straddling one of his Harleys or one of his custom cycles; Paul roams where the muse and the road take him, directing the herd rather than following. He has a definitive vision for the way the world should work, and refuses to bend his ideals to the mores of a society that’s grown out of control. Paul strives to give back every day, both through his music and in his day-to-day life, by helping others, and reminding them that they can be all they want to be.

Paul’s talents go far beyond the studio and the stage. He converted a stunt-double part into a speaking role and a fight with Jean Claude Van Damme in the film Eagle Path by making a good first impression with the director. Paul practices his mastery of self as both a discipline and a path to success. Although he is not fighting competitively anymore, he is currently working toward instructor rating in Muay Thai with his good friend and Kickboxing World Champion, Mehdi, of KB-One Boxing Center. Paul applies the discipline and intensity required for martial arts to everything he does. Consequently it’s difficult to imagine a path on which he won’t succeed. This force is buffered by a dry wit that borders on wicked at times; a subtle spice that infuses itself through Paul’s songwriting and worldview.

Paul Nash is a force to be reckoned with. Not since Garth Brooks, in country, and Elvis Presley, in rock and roll, has such an enigmatic and powerful persona graced the Nashville stage. He’s larger than life, and yet somehow diminutive next to his own voice. Paul is destined to be a country music superstar. You can hear it in the songs on Crossing That Line, you can see it in his bearing and his rapport with the crowd in concert, and you can hear it in the powerful depths of his voice. Paul even shares some mannerisms with the late, great Johnny Cash; similarities noted by former members of Cash’s own entourage, including his final producer, during the process of recording Crossing That Line. The parallels are a bit unsettling at times, but if Paul Nash is the heir apparent to Johnny Cash’s outlaw country style, you can’t help but think that Cash would be more than a little proud of the choice.