Shawn Phillips
Encyclopedia
Shawn Phillips is a folk-rock musician, primarily influential in the 1960s and 1970s.
Phillips has recorded twenty albums and worked with musicians including Donovan
, Paul Buckmaster
, J. Peter Robinson
, Eric Clapton
, Steve Winwood
, Bernie Taupin
, and many others. The Texas-born singer/songwriter was called "The best kept secret in the music business" by the late rock impresario Bill Graham
.
In the 1960s, Phillips worked as a session player on several Donovan
LPs including Fairytale
, Sunshine Superman
and Mellow Yellow
, performed at the Isle of Wight
festival, sang on the Beatles' "Lovely Rita (Meter Maid)" song, 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). 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
.
Phillips worked the folk music scene in Los Angeles, New York 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 is Phillips' 1970 45rpm release of "A Christmas Song" on 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.
Today, Shawn 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).
Phillips has recorded twenty albums and worked with musicians including Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
, Paul Buckmaster
Paul Buckmaster
Paul John Buckmaster is a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger and composer.He began learning the cello at the age of 4 and graduated from the Royal College of Music at age 16....
, J. Peter Robinson
J. Peter Robinson
J. Peter Robinson is a composer whose works include Nightmare Cafe, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Return of the Living Dead Part II, Vampire in Brooklyn , The World's Fastest Indian, and The Bank Job.He also composed some music for the English version of Godzilla 2000...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, Bernie Taupin
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
, and many others. The Texas-born singer/songwriter was called "The best kept secret in the music business" by the late rock impresario Bill Graham
Bill Graham (promoter)
Bill Graham was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.-Early life:...
.
In the 1960s, Phillips worked as a session player on several Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
LPs including Fairytale
Fairytale (album)
Fairytale is the second album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was first released in the United Kingdom on October 22, 1965 through Pye Records . The U.S. version of Fairytale was released by Hickory Records in November 1965 with a slightly different set of songs...
, Sunshine Superman
Sunshine Superman
"Sunshine Superman" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. The "Sunshine Superman" single was released in the United States through Epic Records in July 1966, but due to a contractual dispute the United Kingdom release was delayed until December 1966, where it...
and Mellow Yellow
Mellow Yellow (album)
Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in March 1967 Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the United States in March 1967 Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from...
, performed at the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
festival, sang on the Beatles' "Lovely Rita (Meter Maid)" song, and was cast to play the lead in the original production of Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
(he had to withdraw due to his heavy recording and touring schedule). In February 1969 Phillips wrote and performed, with The Djinn, the music for the controversial Jane Arden
Jane Arden (director)
Jane Arden was a Welsh-born film director, actor, screenwriter, playwright, songwriter, and poet.-Early career:...
play Vagina Rex and the Gas Oven at the Arts Laboratory on Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
.
Phillips worked the folk music scene in Los Angeles, New York Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
, and London. In 1967, Phillips moved to Positano
Positano
Positano is a village and comune on the Amalfi Coast , in Campania, Italy. The main part of the city sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast.-History:...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 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 is Phillips' 1970 45rpm release of "A Christmas Song" on A&M 1238. The track is now available on the re-issue of Faces.
His album No Category, featuring his longtime collaborators Paul Buckmaster
Paul Buckmaster
Paul John Buckmaster is a Grammy Award-winning English artist, arranger and composer.He began learning the cello at the age of 4 and graduated from the Royal College of Music at age 16....
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.
Today, Shawn 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
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
(EMT), firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
, and 1st Officer, Navigator, and Extrication Specialist with the National Sea Rescue Institute of South Africa (NSRI).
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 RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
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)
Singles
- A Christmas Song (1977, A&M AMS-819)
- We
- Lost Horizon
- Anello (Where Are You)
- Do You Wonder (1974. A&M)