Shawn Phillips
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| Shawn Phillips | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 3, 1943 |
| Origin | Fort Worth, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Folk rock |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Website | shawnphillips.com |
Shawn Phillips (born February 3, 1943, Fort Worth, Texas, USA) is a folk-rock musician, primarily influential in the 1960s and 1970s.
Phillips has recorded twenty albums [1] and worked with musicians including Donovan, Paul Buckmaster, J. Peter Robinson, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bernie Taupin and many others.[2] The Texas-born singer/songwriter was described as "The best kept secret in the music business"[cite this quote] by the late rock impresario Bill Graham.
In the 1960s Phillips worked as a session player on several Donovan albums including Fairytale, Sunshine Superman and Mellow Yellow,[3] performed at the Isle of Wight festival, sang on the Beatles' "Lovely RitaLovely Rita (Meter Maid)"[when?], and was cast to play the lead in the original production of Jesus Christ Superstar (he had to withdraw due to his heavy recording and touring schedule).[citation needed] In February 1969 Phillips wrote and performed, with The Djinn, the music for the controversial Jane Arden play Vagina Rex and the Gas Oven at the Arts Laboratory on Drury Lane.[citation needed]
Phillips worked the folk music scene in Los Angeles, New York's Greenwich Village, and London. In 1967, Phillips moved to Positano, Italy, where he remained throughout the 1970s, recording the albums Contribution, Second Contribution, Collaboration and Faces'.
Four of his albums Faces, Bright White, Furthermore and Do You Wonder made it into the Billboard Top 100. In addition, the singles "Lost Horizon" and "We" made Billboard's top 100 in 1973 (63 and 92 respectively), although "Woman" and "Anello (Where Are You)" didn't. One of the most sought after Christmas songs[citation needed] is Phillips' 1970 single "A Christmas Song" (A&M 1238). The track is now available on the re-issue of Faces.
His album No Category, featuring his longtime collaborators Paul Buckmaster and Peter Robinson, was released in 2002.
In 2007, his first live album, Living Contribution, was released, along with a Live DVD of the same title.
Phillips today lives in Port Elizabeth, South Africa with his wife Juliette and their son Liam. He divides his time between writing, touring and his work as an emergency medical technician (EMT), firefighter, and 1st Officer, Navigator, and Extrication Specialist with the National Sea Rescue Institute of South Africa (NSRI).
Contents |
[edit] Discography
- I'm A Loner (1964) [re-issued as: Favourite Things 1965]
- Shawn (1965) [re-issued as: First Impressions 1966]
- Contribution (1970)
- Second Contribution (1970) US #208
- Collaboration (1971)
- Faces (1972) US #57
- Bright White (1973) US #72
- Furthermore (1974), A&M Records US #50
- Do You Wonder (1974) US #101
- Rumplestiltskin's Resolve (1975) US #201
- Spaced (1977)
- Transcendence (1978)
- Beyond Here Be Dragons (1983)
- Best of Shawn Phillips (1990)
- The Best of Shawn Phillips: The A&M Years (1992)
- The Truth If It Kills (1994)
- Another Contribution: Anthology (1995)
- No Category (2002)
- Living Contribution (2007)
- At The BBC (2009)
[edit] Singles
- A Christmas Song (1977, A&M AMS-819)
- We
- Lost Horizon
- Anello (Where Are You)
- Do You Wonder (1974. A&M)
