Paul Humphrey

Paul Humphrey (22 September 1959 – 4 April 2021) was a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician who played keyboards and guitar and was best known as the lead singer for the 1980s Canadian new wave band Blue Peter. Humphrey had also been the leader of The Paul Humphrey Band, The Monkey Tree, and Broken Arrow. Blue Peter Blue Peter was founded by Humphrey and Chris Wardman in the late 1970s when they were high school students. After attending York University, Humphrey dropped out of the theatre program to pursue music full time. Humphrey sang lead, and was known for his low-timbred singing, compared at times to that of David Bowie and Bryan Ferry, as well as his "suave" looks and dancing style. His band mate Geoff McOuat credited the singer as being influenced by Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and elements of film noir. While a member of Blue Peter, he earned the Male Vocalist of the Year award at 1984's CASBY Awards (then known as The U-Knows), held by CFNY radio in Toronto. Humphrey and Blue Peter performed shows occasionally, often as part of "retro" events, such as the Juno Awards 40th Anniversary Concert Series held at the Horseshoe Tavern in January 2011.