Paul Neil · your favorite guitarist

About

One musician, three sides.

Paul Neil (Julien Dooley) is an Atlanta guitarist, bassist, keys player and music educator. His students at Morrow High School call him Mr. Dooley.

Paul learned guitar and piano in elementary school and grew up in band rooms: section leader, drum major, marching band, top wind ensemble, jazz band. Band earned him a full-ride scholarship to Tennessee State University, where he studied Commercial Music.

Nashville is where the industry started for him. He worked with music nonprofits Notes for Notes and Music 4 LIFE, interned at Helping Our Music Evolve (HOME) and virtually at Pulse Music Group in Los Angeles, and released his first EP, It's Always Cloudy in Nashville. While at TSU he sang background vocals on The Urban Hymnal, the Aristocrat of Bands album that went on to win a Grammy.

Back home in Atlanta, Paul plays lead guitar, bass and keys across five bands and two churches, leads Groovy Groove, and has been hired by MARTA, the Atlanta Hawks and the City of Atlanta's biggest openings. He has backed TBHMG Moody, Mondai, Dubba-AA, David Jr., Hot Boy Turk and Akeem Ali.

Since 2022 he has taught guitar to 225 to 300 students a year at Morrow High School in Clayton County. CBS News Atlanta told that story in September 2026. His approach is simple: music is a language, so you learn to read it, write it, speak it and recognize it, using the songs students already love instead of a textbook.

Paul Neil sitting on a wooden stool with a guitar over his shoulder
Paul Neil, Atlanta.
I believe I was placed on this Earth for two reasons: to be of service to others, and to spread my love for the arts. As long as I'm doing those two things, I'm walking in my purpose.

The Educator

How I teach

Music is a language. You learn it the way you learned to talk: by hearing it, copying it, and finding the patterns. No textbook, no theory for theory's sake. We start with songs you already know, build self-discipline through short daily reps, and connect the dots on the fretboard until it stops looking like dots.

Three sides

Pick one.