Former Spread Eagle guitarist Paul DiBartolo explains how he became known as Salvadore Poe
Former Spread Eagle guitarist Paul DiBartolo explains how he became known as Salvadore Poe
Former original Spread Eagle guitarist Paul DiBartolo recently granted a rare interview to Andrew Daly at Vinyl Writer Music. Spread Eagle released two albums — Spread Eagle (1990) and Open To The Public (1993) — with DiBartolo handling the guitar duties. The guitarist left the band in 1995 and declined to take part in a reunion in 2006. Sleaze Roxx interviewed DiBartolo back in early 2006 at which time the guitarist had recently relocated to India and where he goes by the name Salvadore Poe.
In terms of his decision to not be part of Spread Eagle‘s reunion in 2006, DiBartolo indicated (with slight edits): “Rob [De Luca] contacted me several times, around 2006, about coming back to the USA, and reforming the band. But I was far removed by then from that. Besides the film and TV music, I had also written the songs, and recorded an album (Sings Salvadore Poe) of Bossa Nova/Jazz music in Sweden around 2000, with my wife (Lisa Ekdahl) at the time. She is a famous singer, so we had a lot of success with that record, and it went gold in France. We toured all over Europe as well as Jazz festivals, and theatres. Plus, when Rob contacted me, I was living in India and had begun writing, and recording my songs, more like 60s and 70s inspired music. I was going back to my roots, so to speak. So, Spread Eagle was well in my past by then, and I declined Rob’s invitation and suggested they find a great guitar player, which they did. I am happy they are doing what they feel inspired to do.”
With respect to becoming known as Salvadore Poe and creating very different sounding music since his days in Spread Eagle, stated: “When I was in Sweden, I wrote that Bossa Nova album (Sings Salvadore Poe), and wanted a non de plume for it, so, I took that name, and it stuck. It’s my name today. My life has been about change since the beginning. I have never stagnated into one form of myself, even my name changed. That’s just how it has been. Heavy rock music was one period, only around eight years, of my life ride, a very brief period, actually. Before and since then, there have been many other styles and influences, as well as places I have lived, and things I have done. I do understand that people who love those records by Spread Eagle can perceive me in a fixed way, meaning, they see the musician I was then as who I am now. But that is only a small part of the whole of this person.”
You can read the rest of the interview with Paul DiBartolo (also known as Salvadore Poe) at Vinyl Writer Music‘s website.
Spread Eagle‘s “Switchblade Serenade” video: