Paul Diethelm
Inducted 2022
Paul Diethelm (pronounced DEE-telm) originally hailed from the small town of Watertown, Minnesota, and was born into a musical family. As the youngest of four in a house full of instruments, there was always plenty of inspiration to draw from- and lots of noise to be made! Throughout his childhood and into his teens, Paul mainly focused on being a drummer. By the time he was 16 he took a turn toward the electric guitar. Championed and inspired mainly by his older brother Joe – as well as Eddie Van Halen – Paul spent hours upon hours in the basement, chained to his 1959 Fender Stratocaster, honing his self-taught skills for what would become his life’s career and passion. Upon graduating from high school, Paul cut his teeth in well-established Watertown area band Silver Rose. Fall of 1983 saw him move to attend St. Cloud State University, where he joined a seven-piece R&B horn band called The Greystone Rockers. When that band broke up in 1989, Paul formed the rock power-trio group Slip Twister with bandmates Mike Zeleny and Jay O’Donnell. The three became life-long friends and eventual founding members of The Fabulous Armadillos. Slip Twister recorded two albums and worked the club scene between Minneapolis & St. Cloud. In Fall of 1995 Paul’s globe-trotting run started with Jonny Lang. Paul’s tenure eventually ended in 2004, allowing him to sleep in his own bed and raise his family with wife Julie and their twins Joey & Lizzy. In 2006 he became a founding member of popular Minnesota rock and roll band The Fabulous Armadillos, producing acclaimed theme & tribute shows and packing theaters & music festivals all over the five-state area. Every December Paul co-produces the rollicking, highly entertaining Rock & Roll Christmas Spectacular, resulting in multiple album releases on CD. Paul was once even sighted right here in New Ulm, sporting lederhosen and playing with his family’s band Alpenrose. Paul Diethelm’s skill-set and rock and roll persona have earned him one-word nickname status: to fans and other musicians, he is known simply as STRETCH, as he stands six-foot-five and change!
