Phil Roy
Encyclopedia
Phil Roy is an American
musician
, singer, and songwriter
.
and began playing the guitar at age nine. At age 17, attended Berklee College of Music
in Boston
, Massachusetts
. He moved to Los Angeles
in 1981 and was discovered on Sunset Boulevard
by Ted Templeman
, a music executive from Warner Bros.
who is also responsible for discovering Van Halen
, Little Feat
, and the Doobie Brothers. He was a member of two rock bands in Los Angeles, but neither was successful.
, Joe Cocker
, The Neville Brothers
, and Pops Staples
. He also contributed songs to the soundtracks for As Good as It Gets
and Leaving Las Vegas
.
In 2007, Wyclef Jean
recorded Roy's "Show Me the Way Home" for a film produced and narrated by Matt Damon
.
He was the winner of the 9th Annual Independent Music Awards, for Best Concept Album; In The Weird Small Hours.
for best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song. He was signed by OR Music after his first album performed well. In 2003, Roy released Issues + Options, his second solo album. Roy performed at the Lincoln Center to a sold-out crowd as part of the "America Songbook" series in January 2004.
In May 2008, Roy released his third album The Great Longing on the Decca Records
/Universal Records
label.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, singer, and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
.
Early musical career
Roy was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and began playing the guitar at age nine. At age 17, attended Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. He moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1981 and was discovered on Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
by Ted Templeman
Ted Templeman
Ted Templeman is an American record producer.-Career:He began his career in the mid 1960s in the Santa Cruz area as a drummer in a band called The Tikis. At the suggestion of Lenny Waronker, the group decided to change their name. Harpers Bizarre was born in 1966, with Templeman switching to...
, a music executive from Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
who is also responsible for discovering Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
, Little Feat
Little Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
, and the Doobie Brothers. He was a member of two rock bands in Los Angeles, but neither was successful.
Songwriting
Roy decided to leave the recording industry to become a songwriter. For fifteen years, he worked for numerous publishers with Ray CharlesRay Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers
The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art , Charles , Aaron , and Cyril The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in...
, and Pops Staples
Pops Staples
Roebuck "Pops" Staples was a Mississippi-born Gospel and R&B musician.A "pivotal figure in gospel in the 1960s and 70s," he was an accomplished songwriter, guitarist and singer...
. He also contributed songs to the soundtracks for As Good as It Gets
As Good as It Gets
As Good as It Gets is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks and produced by Laura Ziskin. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, obsessive-compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with an asthmatic son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist. The screenplay was...
and Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film directed and written by Mike Figgis, based on a semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by John O'Brien. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic who has ended his personal and professional life to drink himself to death in Las Vegas...
.
In 2007, Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
recorded Roy's "Show Me the Way Home" for a film produced and narrated by Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
.
He was the winner of the 9th Annual Independent Music Awards, for Best Concept Album; In The Weird Small Hours.
Solo efforts
Roy moved back east after becoming disillusioned with the industry. In January 2000, Roy released his solo debut album entitled Grouchyfriendly. He released this album on his own Ear Pictures label and his song "Melt" won in The 2nd Annual Independent Music AwardsThe Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
for best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song. He was signed by OR Music after his first album performed well. In 2003, Roy released Issues + Options, his second solo album. Roy performed at the Lincoln Center to a sold-out crowd as part of the "America Songbook" series in January 2004.
In May 2008, Roy released his third album The Great Longing on the Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
/Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
label.
Culinary career
In 2004, Roy's record label terminated his contract and his marriage collapsed. In response to these setbacks, Roy began his "I'm Not Leaving the House" tour in November 2005. Operating out of his townhouse in Philadelphia with a table for sixteen, Roy provides home-cooked food and original songs for his diners on a monthly basis.Discography
- Grouchyfriendly (January 2000)
- Issues + Options (May 2003)
- The Great Longing (May 2008) - Cooking Vinyl RecordsCooking VinylCooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...
- In The Weird Small Hours (September 2009) - MRI/Megaforce RecordsMegaforce RecordsMegaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
Songwriting credits
- "God is Not Sleeping" and "Ain't No Better than You" by Mavis StaplesMavis StaplesMavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
- "Tell Me Why" by Los Lonely BoysLos Lonely BoysLos Lonely Boys is a Chicano rock power trio from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown eyed soul, country, and Tejano....
- "The Simple Things" and "My Brother, My Brother" by Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
- "My World" by Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
- "Hope in a Hopeless World" by Pops StaplesPops StaplesRoebuck "Pops" Staples was a Mississippi-born Gospel and R&B musician.A "pivotal figure in gospel in the 1960s and 70s," he was an accomplished songwriter, guitarist and singer...
- "Demons", "Perfect" and "X-Ray Eyes" by GusterGusterGuster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1991, the group is known for its live performances and humor, founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel came about to begin practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford,...
- "Hope in a Hopeless World" by Widespread PanicWidespread PanicWidespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
- "It Takes More", "Day To Day Thing", "Let My People Go", and "Good Song" by The Neville BrothersThe Neville BrothersThe Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art , Charles , Aaron , and Cyril The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in...
- "Poor Man Cry", "Things Friend", "Vice Versa Love", and "Be Strong" by Barrington LevyBarrington LevyBarrington Levy is a reggae and dancehall artist from Jamaica.-Career:In 1976, Levy formed a band with his cousin, Everton Dacres, called the Mighty Multitude; the pair released "My Black Girl" in 1977...
- "Hope in a Hopeless World" and "It Will Be You" by Paul YoungPaul Young (singer and guitarist)Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
- "Hope in a Hopeless World" by Eric BibbEric BibbEric Bibb is an American acoustic blues singer-songwriter. He is based in London and launched his career in Europe. Today he lives in Finland.-Biography:...
- "Even If it Breaks My Heart Real" by Sir Cliff Richard
- "Heaven Down Here" by Tuck & PattiTuck & PattiTuck & Patti are an American husband and wife jazz duo.Oklahoma born guitarist Tuck Andress met singer Patti Cathcart, a native of San Francisco, at an audition in Las Vegas in 1980. Prior to this, Tuck had been a session performer with The Gap Band....
- "Beautiful As You", "Down She Goes", "Don't Mean Anything", "Quarterback", "Amazing", and "It's Alright" by Adam CohenAdam Cohen (musician)Adam Cohen is a Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, and frontman of the band Low Millions. As a recording artist, he has released three major label albums, two in English and one in French...
- "Sister My Sister" and "That's the Difference" by NativeNative (band)Native is a French R&B band composed of two sisters, Laura Mayne and Chris Mayne . She began their singing career as chorister with Niagara and Gérald De Palmas...
- "Died a Thousand Times" by Eddie MoneyEddie MoneyEddie Money is an American rock guitarist, saxophonist and singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums...
- "Don't Count Me Out" by Eric Martin
- "Best Place in the World" by Charles & Eddie
- "Be Where You Are" by Kim StockwoodKim StockwoodKim Stockwood is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. She was a member of Atlantic Canadian regional music group Shaye from 2003-2009 with Damhnait Doyle and Tara MacLean ....
- "What Are We Waiting For" by Alannah MylesAlannah MylesAlannah Myles is a Canadian singer-songwriter, the daughter of Canadian broadcast pioneer William Douglas Byles. In 1989, she released her eponymous debut album...
with ZuccheroZuccheroAdelmo Fornaciari, Commander , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.Zucchero is the... - "Miracle" and "Push" by Morgan HeritageMorgan HeritageMorgan Heritage is a reggae band formed in 1994 by five children of reggae artist Denroy Morgan, namely Peter Morgan, Una Morgan, Roy "Gramps" Morgan, Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan and Memmalatel "Mr. Mojo" Morgan. In two decades, they have had a number of successful reggae albums.-Career:Morgan...
- "Can't Hurt the Harvest", "I Don't Want to Know", and "September Rain" by Katey Segal
- "Never Enough" by L.A. GunsL.A. GunsL.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
- "Will You Remember" by Eighth WonderEighth WonderEighth Wonder were a British pop band in the 1980s. They formed in 1983 and enjoyed major success in Japan and Italy between 1985 and 1987, before having hit singles in the UK and across Europe in 1988.-Early years:...
- "Synchronize" by Appollonia
Filmography
- "Running The SaharaRunning the SaharaRunning the Sahara is a documentary feature film that chronicles the Ray Zahab, Charlie Engle, and Kevin Lin's attempt to run across the entire Sahara desert...
" (2009) writer of "Show Me The Way Home" performed by Wyclef JeanWyclef JeanWyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
. - Welcome to HollywoodWelcome to HollywoodWelcome to Hollywood is a mockumentary about a young man trying to make it in Hollywood as an actor. Tony Markes is the young man trying to pursue the means to become an actor. Various attempts to get him noticed and in roles in film and television fail...
(2000) - Writer and performer of "Refuse," "Busy Body," "Wool & Cotton," "The Blaster," "Berries for Sherry," "Tomorrow's Sun," "Round Up," "Move Away," and "The Searcher" and music supervisor. - Me, Myself, & Irene (2000) - Writer of "Happy Feeling."
- Love & SexLove & SexLove & Sex is a 2000 film written and directed by Valerie Breiman. A comedy-drama, it stars Famke Janssen and Jon Favreau.-Cast:*Kate Welles - Famke Janssen*Adam Levy - Jon Favreau*Eric - Noah Emmerich*Monique Steinbacher - Ann Magnuson...
(2000) - Writer and performer of "It's Alright." - I Still Know What You Did Last SummerI Still Know What You Did Last SummerI Still Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1998 slasher film and sequel to the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer. The screenplay was written by Trey Callaway, based on characters originally created in a popular novel by Lois Duncan. Callaway's script was published in an edited "young adult"...
(1998) - Writer of "How Do I DealHow Do I Deal"How Do I Deal" is a song by Jennifer Love Hewitt from the soundtrack to the film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and was released as a single in January 1999 with an accompanying music video. The single has become Hewitt's one and only appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 U.S. singles chart,...
." - As Good as It GetsAs Good as It GetsAs Good as It Gets is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks and produced by Laura Ziskin. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, obsessive-compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt as a single mother with an asthmatic son, and Greg Kinnear as a gay artist. The screenplay was...
(1997) - Writer and producer of "Everything My Heart Desires" and "My Only." - I Know What You Did Last SummerI Know What You Did Last SummerI Know What You Did Last Summer is a 1997 American horror film. The film stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. The screenplay was written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream, and very loosely based on Lois Duncan's popular novel of the same title...
(1997) - Writer of "Don't Mean Anything." - Leaving Las VegasLeaving Las VegasLeaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film directed and written by Mike Figgis, based on a semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by John O'Brien. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic who has ended his personal and professional life to drink himself to death in Las Vegas...
(1995) - Writer of "Ridiculous." - The MaskThe Mask (film)The Mask is a 1994 American superhero comedy film based on a series of comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. This film was directed by Chuck Russell, and produced by Dark Horse Entertainment and New Line Cinema, and originally released to movie theatres on July 29, 1994 through New Line...
(1994) - Writer of "This Business of Love." - The Meteor ManThe Meteor Man (film)The Meteor Man is a 1993 superhero film written, directed, and starring Robert Townsend, and featuring an ensemble cast. Townsend stars as a mild-mannered schoolteacher, who becomes a superhero after his neighborhood in Washington, D.C. is terrorized by street gangs.Although the film is set in...
(1993) - Writer of "Is It Just Too Much."
Selected co-writers
- Hans ZimmerHans ZimmerHans Florian Zimmer is a German film composer and music producer. He has composed music for over 100 films, including critically acclaimed film scores for The Lion King , Crimson Tide , The Thin Red Line , Gladiator , The Dark Knight and Inception .Zimmer spent the early part of his career in the...
- Michael Kaman
- Heitor PereiraHeitor PereiraHeitor Teixeira Pereira , or Heitor TP, is a Brazilian musician, who played with Simply Red and several famous musicians, like Elton John, Rod Stewart, k.d...
- Bob Theile, Jr.
- Will JenningsWill JenningsWilbur H. "Will" Jennings is an American songwriter who is popularly known for writing the lyrics for "My Heart Will Go On", the theme for the film Titanic .-Life and education:...
- John ShanksJohn ShanksJohn Matthew Shanks is a modern rock writer and Grammy Award–winning producer.Born in New York City, Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17....
- Shelly PeikenShelly PeikenShelly Peiken is a multi-platinum Grammy nominated songwriter who is best known for her #1 hits "What a Girl Wants" and "Come on Over Baby ".Shelly and Meredith Brooks earned a Grammy nomination for Brooks's hit song "Bitch"....
- Dennis Matkosky
- Steven Alan Davis
- Simon Clime
- Gavin GreenawayGavin GreenawayGavin Greenaway is a music composer and conductor. He is the son of Roger Greenaway.Educated at Strode's College and Trinity College of Music. He started working with his father before leaving school...
- Jeff Silbar
- Dillon O'Brian
- Julian CoryellJulian Coryell-Biography:Coryell was born in Pennsylvania in 1973 to famed jazz guitarist Larry Coryell and writer/actor /musician Julie Coryell, and grew up in Connecticut, New York and California. Coryell began playing the piano and drums at the age of 5, switched to violin at the age of 8, then to bass at the...
- Paul CarrackPaul CarrackPaul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...
- Glen Tillbrook
- Roy HayRoy HayRoy Hay is the guitarist/keyboardist with Culture Club, one of the more popular bands of the 1980s, fronted by Boy George. Hay, a trained pianist since the age of five under the tutelage of Ms Eileen Chick, replaced founding member Johnny Suede in 1981...
- Adam CohenAdam Cohen (musician)Adam Cohen is a Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, and frontman of the band Low Millions. As a recording artist, he has released three major label albums, two in English and one in French...
- Cathy DennisCathy DennisCathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress...