Philip Chevron

Philip Ryan (born 17 June 1957 in Dublin), professionally known as Philip Chevron, is an Irish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the guitarist for The Pogues.

Career

In the late 1970s, Chevron was the lead singer and a founding member of short-lived punk rock outfit, The Radiators From Space, receiving some critical acclaim, albeit little widespread popularity or financial success. Following the break up of the band, he lived in London for a time, meeting and befriending Shane MacGowan through time spent working together at a record shop.

Following the release of the Pogues' 1984 debut album Red Roses For Me, he was invited to join the band on a short-term basis as cover for banjo player Jem Finer's paternity leave. He then took over as guitarist following MacGowan's decision to concentrate on singing--thereby becoming a full-time member of the band in time for the recording of its second album, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash.

Although living somewhat in the shadow of MacGowan during his time with The Pogues, and lacking the former's pitch-black sense of humour and distinctive vocal style, Chevron proved himself as a singer-songwriter in his own right, creating the popular ballads "Thousands are Sailing" and "Lorelei" amongst others.

Although primarily known as a guitarist, he is also a skilled player of the banjo and mandolin, as first demonstrated on The Pogues' third album, If I Should Fall from Grace with God. Chevron left The Pogues in 1994 following much-publicised problems with drugs and alcohol.

In 2003, he reformed The Radiators (Plan 9) along with ex-Pogues bassist Cait O'Riordan. They released the critically acclaimed Trouble Pilgrim in 2006. It topped the independent record charts but did not make any inroads into the mainstream. The album included a tribute to Chevron's friend, Joe Strummer.

In recent years, he has become, in effect, The Pogues' unofficial spokesperson and resident expert on the reclusive Shane MacGowan--frequently visiting online forums and directly answering questions from fans. In 2004, he personally oversaw the remastering and re-release of The Pogues' entire back catalogue on CD. He now tours regularly with The Pogues again after a successful reunion tour in 2001.

In June 2007 it was announced on The Pogues' website that Chevron had been diagnosed with a case of "locally advanced" throat cancer. In early 2008 it was announced via The Pogues official website that Chevron had recovered, and to his surprise and joy his hearing had returned to almost pre-treatment levels. He embarked on the March 2008 tour of the United States and managed to sing "Thousands Are Sailing" in each of the performances.

When not touring with The Pogues a great deal of his time is spent seeing plays, musicals and operas primarily in London, Dublin and New York. His reviews are regularly published on The Pogues offical forum.

External links

• The Pogues official website
• The Radiators from Space official website