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Paul Nelson was an American rock critic, magazine editor, and A&R executive, born on January 21, 1936, in Warren, Minnesota. He began his career in 1961 by co-founding "The Little Sandy Review," a magazine focused on folk music, alongside his friend John Pankake. In 1963, Nelson moved to New York City and became the managing editor of "Sing Out!", a magazine dedicated to the folk music revival. After leaving that position two years later, he worked for "Circus" and "Rolling Stone." In 1970, Nelson joined the publicity department at Mercury Records and became an A&R executive, where he notably signed the New York Dolls. He briefly served as David Bowie's publicist and supported artists like Rod Stewart, Doug Sahm, Blue Ash, and Reddy Teddy. He also compiled The Velvet Underground's "1969: The Velvet Underground Live" and made unsuccessful bids for Bruce Springsteen, The Modern Lovers, and Richard and Linda Thompson. However, he was fired in 1975 when the New York Dolls did not achieve commercial success. Nelson returned to "Rolling Stone," where he contributed features and edited the record reviews section, collaborating with rock critic Lester Bangs on a biography of Rod Stewart. After leaving "Rolling Stone" in 1983, he occasionally wrote features for "Musician" magazine and reviewed albums for "People." By the early 1990s, Nelson had shifted his focus

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