Born in the rural district of
Schofield, Wisconsin, Paulo grew up in
Wahiawa, Hawaii. His grandparents on his mother's side were from the
Philippines, becoming naturalized US citizens after his grandfather joined the US military. Rene's musical background was in classical music, and he studied briefly at the
Juilliard School of Music in New York with Lonnie Epstein and Gerald Tracy. He soon branched out into improvisation, listening to jazz pianists such as
Art Tatum,
Alec Templeton,
Fats Waller,
Earl "Fatha" Hines, and boogie woogie styles. He is known as "Hawaii's Favorite and Most Famous Pianist" and has been invited repeatedly to perform in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. Paulo played with famous artists like
Alfred Apaka,
Hilo Hattie,
Don Ho and
Sandii. He played music at a church in
Kapolei, Hawaii that was founded by Pastor
Danny Yamashiro and is the father of cosmopolitan and versatile saxophonist
Michael Paulo. Paulo died in Honolulu on January 11, 2023, at the age of 92. ==Discography==