Paolo Emilio Dionisio

The band was somewhat of a miracle in itself. Selah was founded in 1971 by Eddie Vincent Fisher and Paolo Emilio Dionisio. The two started out as a duo. A month later, while attending a Bible study, Eddie and Paolo were completely overtaken when a lovely young lady sang a song she had written. Her name was Kristina Linder. In no time the nucleus of Selah was formed. The believers gave their approval with joy and excitement.

In June of 1971, Michael Leb, a premiere bass player, joined the band, and, in November of 1971, the band moved to Ohio where Joseph Maestri, a world-class drummer, joined the group.

In the following years, Selah would bless thousands of people across the nation and the world with their music and sharing of God's Word...and they praised God with a melody in their hearts.

View the Selah Photo Album of friends.

Legend has it that Tricarico was founded by two soldiers who escaped the Trojan War, a story not too unusual in Italy. The town is a little north of Calabria and a little south of Napoli. Potenza and Matera are the closest big cities. Tricarico is built on three mountains, and the air there is as pure as the day God gave it. There is no industry in Tricarico, nor has there ever been. The village boasts of three very old churches dating back to the third century and the watchtower, "Normanda", built in the thirteenth century.

The people are hardworking and friendly. Life is uncomplicated. Every morning and evening, the people gather in the Piazza Garibaldi for espresso and chit-chat that keeps the old stories alive. You will find some of the finest food and drink there--cheese, wine, bread, pasta, and oil--all produced by hand. The people have not lost touch with the land they intimately know, and they are among the best farmers in the world.

Most of the people live and die there, but, on the rare occasions that they leave Tricarico, they always want to return to live out their last days. The old village is filled with laughter, music, and hard work. The Tricarincese people are living proof that "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine."

In the Basilicata region of southern Italy, high up in the mountains, lies the small village of Tricarico, birthplace of Paolo Emilio Dionisio. For the first nine years of his life, Paolo's childhood, though very poor, was typically carefree. His life was filled with love, music, and mischief. Where there was music, you found little Paolo; but, through bizarre and ultimately tragic circumstances, he was sent to America alone. He was placed in an orphanage called the Dante Home in Concordville, Pennsylvania and was adopted three times by his fifteenth birthday. A short time later, he would endure a harrowing tour of duty in Viet Nam. At his return in 1967, Paolo packed his bags, and he and a few friends from his old neighborhood left King of Prussia and headed west for California.

From his earliest years, Paolo demonstrated an unusual talent for music and voice, and he and several close friends formed a rock band called Blue Magic, a group that quickly became northern California's top rock band. In 1969, Blue Magic, along with Canned Heat and Sugarloaf, signed contracts with Liberty Records. In attendance were Harry Bellafonte and Universal president Warren Brown. The band eventually signed with the prestigious William Morris Agency at a party given in their honor in Los Angeles at the Universal Sheraton Hotel.

Through yet another set of extraordinary circumstances in 1970, Paolo's best friend, Eddie, introduced him to a Bible ministry that changed his life forever. He has been blessing people through songs and teachings for thirty years and continues to do so.