Paul Smadbeck was born New York City where he studied drum set and percussion throughout his early school years before beginning his formal music training at Ithaca College where he received both the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in percussion performance. Inspired by the marimba playing of Leigh Howard Stevens and Gordon Stout, Paul emerged in the late 1970' s as a leading classical marimba soloist in his own right, performing recitals throughout the country. He began writing for the instrument and his collection of etudes and other works quickly became performance favorites and have earned a permanent place in the percussion repertoire worldwide. His works have been recorded over the years by dozens of artists from the U. S., Europe, Australia, and the Far East. Perhaps his best known marimba composition, "Rhythm Song", is arguably among the most popular works ever written for the instrument. In 2010, he premiered his newest marimba composition, "Fernando's Waltz", at the "Marimba 2010 International Festival and Conference" at the University of Minnesota.