Steve Phillips (musician)
Encyclopedia
Steve Phillips is an English blues
and country
musician. He is mainly renowned for being part of supergroup
Notting Hillbillies along with Dire Straits
frontman Mark Knopfler
and Brendan Croker
.
, England
but when still a child his family moved to Leeds; he has lived in Yorkshire for most of his life. His father was a sculptor and his mother was a painter. At the age of 13, Steve began learning to play guitar and started playing in different pubs in Leeds
. In 1965, at the age of 17, he formed a band called Easy Mr. Steve's Bootleggers in which he mainly played piano. The group eventually recorded some demos but these would not be released until 1996. They split in 1967, although the various musicians continued to work together in different combinations from time to time.
In 1968, after buying his first steel resonator guitar, a vintage National, he played many solo gigs in Leeds pubs. Then, a journalist working for The Yorkshire Evening Post called Mark Knopfler
met him in order to get an interview. They soon become friends and started playing together. Their stage name was The Duolian String Pickers. They went on playing in different pubs. Finally, in 1973, Mark left Leeds and moved to London to become part of Brewer's Droop
and afterwards, found Dire Straits
, with whom he would finally reach mainstream recognition.
By the mid-70s, Steve Phillips had met the Bradford-born songwriter, singer and guitarist Brendan Croker
. They opened up a club in a Leeds pub called The Packhorse, where they also played guitar. As a side project, Steve spent his spare time painting. Finally, in the 80s, Steve was persuaded to release his first album, titled ironically The Best Of Steve Phillips. Recorded between 1977 and 1986, the album contained fourteen tracks, only one of which was self-composed: the rest were classic country blues and ragtime instrumentals by such artists as Blind Willie McTell, Big Bill Broonzy and Blind Blake. In 1989 he released a second album, Steel-Rail Blues, which contained more of his own compositions and arrangements of others' songs.
Mark Knopfler, already famous as the leader of Dire Straits, offered to produce Steve's next album for him. However, following an impromptu (and still well-remembered) gig at the famous Grove Inn in Leeds (one of the city's most celebrated musical venues) in May 1986 in which Knopfler joined Steve and Brendan Croker, Steve suggested forming a band along with Brendan (who had also released a couple of albums with his band The 5 O'Clock Shadows). This idea would become The Notting Hillbillies
. Through this group, Steve would achieve a wider recognition that would allow him to go on releasing his full solo albums and enhance his career.
Steve went on releasing albums throughout the 90s. He has worked with a wide group of musicians whom he calls on for band gigs; they were at one time called The Famous Five but are now known as The Rough Diamonds. Most of these musicians (and other guests) have appeared on his albums, except for his most recent, Solo (2005) which is Steve on his own. (These recordings are difficult to find outside the UK, despite the fact that Steve is internationally known as an excellent blues singer and guitarist and has undertaken several tours outside his native country, notably in Italy, Spain and Scandinavia). In 1996, Just Pickin'
was released; an album that gathered different previously unreleased demos with Easy Mr Steve’s Bootleggers, Mark Knopfler, Brendan Croker and other musicians; the recordings spanned nearly thirty years, from 1965 to 1981.
Steve usually tours solo for the majority of the time, with occasional gigs with The Rough Diamonds. He also played with other solo blues artists such as Ray Stubbs, Doug McLeod and Hans Theessink. He still plays regularly with Brendan Croker and appears occasionally with Mark Knopfler and his band, especially for charity fund-raising gigs. When not touring, Steve and The Rough Diamonds play most Tuesday nights at the Grosvenor Hotel in Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire
. These informal evenings usually gather a good audience and often feature friends of Steve and the band 'sitting in' for all or part of the gig. A good time is guaranteed, and the music ranges from early blues to rock'n'roll, country to Chicago R&B. A live album of material recorded at the Grosvenor will be issued in 2008.
In addition to his skills as a musician, Steve is a noted landscape painter, specialising in scenes around his North Yorkshire home area. These paintings are notable for their treatment of North Yorkshire's distinctive but elusive light, and have a luminous quality which renders them instantly recognisable as Steve's work. His album Been A Long Time Gone features a detail from one of his paintings on the sleeve.
As if musical and artistic gifts were not enough, Steve has an enviable reputation as a builder and restorer of guitars. Though guitars made by N.S. Phillips are few in number, they are greatly sought after and are owned by musicians such as Mark Knopfler, Brendan Croker, Dave Peabody
and Dave Speight. The 6-string he made for Knopfler featured heavily on the Notting Hillbillies' album and has been described by Knopfler as one of his favourites.
Steel-Rail Blues (1990)
Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time
(1990) [with The Notting Hillbillies
]
Been A Long Time Gone (1995)
Just Pickin'
(1996)
Every One A Gem (2000)
Solo (2005)
Live At The Grosvenor (to be issued in 2008)
album, was sold by Steve in the early 70s. This is a list of some of the guitars Steve has used in his live shows; his current main live guitars are marked +
Acoustic guitars:
Electric guitars:
Phillip's official website
has photographs of many of these instruments.
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
musician. He is mainly renowned for being part of supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Notting Hillbillies along with Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
frontman Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
and Brendan Croker
Brendan Croker
Brendan Croker is a musician from Leeds who has recorded albums under his own name and with occasional backing band The Five O'Clock Shadows. He was also a member of The Notting Hillbillies...
.
Biography
Steve Phillips was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
but when still a child his family moved to Leeds; he has lived in Yorkshire for most of his life. His father was a sculptor and his mother was a painter. At the age of 13, Steve began learning to play guitar and started playing in different pubs in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. In 1965, at the age of 17, he formed a band called Easy Mr. Steve's Bootleggers in which he mainly played piano. The group eventually recorded some demos but these would not be released until 1996. They split in 1967, although the various musicians continued to work together in different combinations from time to time.
In 1968, after buying his first steel resonator guitar, a vintage National, he played many solo gigs in Leeds pubs. Then, a journalist working for The Yorkshire Evening Post called Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
met him in order to get an interview. They soon become friends and started playing together. Their stage name was The Duolian String Pickers. They went on playing in different pubs. Finally, in 1973, Mark left Leeds and moved to London to become part of Brewer's Droop
Brewer's Droop
Brewers Droop is the name of a Southern English band in which Mark Knopfler played for a few months in 1973. Knopfler split his time between teaching part-time, and playing with the band...
and afterwards, found Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
, with whom he would finally reach mainstream recognition.
By the mid-70s, Steve Phillips had met the Bradford-born songwriter, singer and guitarist Brendan Croker
Brendan Croker
Brendan Croker is a musician from Leeds who has recorded albums under his own name and with occasional backing band The Five O'Clock Shadows. He was also a member of The Notting Hillbillies...
. They opened up a club in a Leeds pub called The Packhorse, where they also played guitar. As a side project, Steve spent his spare time painting. Finally, in the 80s, Steve was persuaded to release his first album, titled ironically The Best Of Steve Phillips. Recorded between 1977 and 1986, the album contained fourteen tracks, only one of which was self-composed: the rest were classic country blues and ragtime instrumentals by such artists as Blind Willie McTell, Big Bill Broonzy and Blind Blake. In 1989 he released a second album, Steel-Rail Blues, which contained more of his own compositions and arrangements of others' songs.
Mark Knopfler, already famous as the leader of Dire Straits, offered to produce Steve's next album for him. However, following an impromptu (and still well-remembered) gig at the famous Grove Inn in Leeds (one of the city's most celebrated musical venues) in May 1986 in which Knopfler joined Steve and Brendan Croker, Steve suggested forming a band along with Brendan (who had also released a couple of albums with his band The 5 O'Clock Shadows). This idea would become The Notting Hillbillies
The Notting Hillbillies
The Notting Hillbillies was a country music project formed by Mark Knopfler, who was then lead guitarist and singer of the Dire Straits, with Brendan Croker, Steve Phillips, and Knopfler's bandmate Guy Fletcher. They made just one album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time. This album was...
. Through this group, Steve would achieve a wider recognition that would allow him to go on releasing his full solo albums and enhance his career.
Steve went on releasing albums throughout the 90s. He has worked with a wide group of musicians whom he calls on for band gigs; they were at one time called The Famous Five but are now known as The Rough Diamonds. Most of these musicians (and other guests) have appeared on his albums, except for his most recent, Solo (2005) which is Steve on his own. (These recordings are difficult to find outside the UK, despite the fact that Steve is internationally known as an excellent blues singer and guitarist and has undertaken several tours outside his native country, notably in Italy, Spain and Scandinavia). In 1996, Just Pickin'
Just Pickin'
Just Pickin' is an album by Steve Phillips. It includes different previously unreleased demos spaning from 1967 to 1981, featuring Brendan Croker, Mark Knopfler and Sholto Lenaghan. It was first released in 1996...
was released; an album that gathered different previously unreleased demos with Easy Mr Steve’s Bootleggers, Mark Knopfler, Brendan Croker and other musicians; the recordings spanned nearly thirty years, from 1965 to 1981.
Steve usually tours solo for the majority of the time, with occasional gigs with The Rough Diamonds. He also played with other solo blues artists such as Ray Stubbs, Doug McLeod and Hans Theessink. He still plays regularly with Brendan Croker and appears occasionally with Mark Knopfler and his band, especially for charity fund-raising gigs. When not touring, Steve and The Rough Diamonds play most Tuesday nights at the Grosvenor Hotel in Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire
Robin Hood's Bay
Robin Hood’s Bay is a small fishing village and a bay located five miles south of Whitby and 15 miles north of Scarborough on the coast of North Yorkshire, England. Bay Town, its local name, is in the ancient chapelry of Fylingdales in the wapentake of Whitby Strand.-Toponymy:The origin of the name...
. These informal evenings usually gather a good audience and often feature friends of Steve and the band 'sitting in' for all or part of the gig. A good time is guaranteed, and the music ranges from early blues to rock'n'roll, country to Chicago R&B. A live album of material recorded at the Grosvenor will be issued in 2008.
In addition to his skills as a musician, Steve is a noted landscape painter, specialising in scenes around his North Yorkshire home area. These paintings are notable for their treatment of North Yorkshire's distinctive but elusive light, and have a luminous quality which renders them instantly recognisable as Steve's work. His album Been A Long Time Gone features a detail from one of his paintings on the sleeve.
As if musical and artistic gifts were not enough, Steve has an enviable reputation as a builder and restorer of guitars. Though guitars made by N.S. Phillips are few in number, they are greatly sought after and are owned by musicians such as Mark Knopfler, Brendan Croker, Dave Peabody
Dave Peabody
Dave Peabody is an English singer-songwriter, blues and folk musician, record producer and photographer, active since the late 1960s, who has appeared on more than 60 albums...
and Dave Speight. The 6-string he made for Knopfler featured heavily on the Notting Hillbillies' album and has been described by Knopfler as one of his favourites.
Discography
The Best Of Steve Phillips (1987)Steel-Rail Blues (1990)
Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time
Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time
Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time is the first and the only studio album by The Notting Hillbillies. It was released in 1990.-Track listing:# "Railroad Worksong" – 5:29 # "Bewildered" – 2:37...
(1990) [with The Notting Hillbillies
The Notting Hillbillies
The Notting Hillbillies was a country music project formed by Mark Knopfler, who was then lead guitarist and singer of the Dire Straits, with Brendan Croker, Steve Phillips, and Knopfler's bandmate Guy Fletcher. They made just one album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time. This album was...
]
Been A Long Time Gone (1995)
Just Pickin'
Just Pickin'
Just Pickin' is an album by Steve Phillips. It includes different previously unreleased demos spaning from 1967 to 1981, featuring Brendan Croker, Mark Knopfler and Sholto Lenaghan. It was first released in 1996...
(1996)
Every One A Gem (2000)
Solo (2005)
Live At The Grosvenor (to be issued in 2008)
Guitars
A great guitar collector, Steve Phillips uses a wide number of them in his live performances. The well-known National Style 0 which Mark Knopfler uses in different songs such as Romeo & Juliet and would become a Dire Straits emblem following its appearance on the cover of the Brothers in ArmsBrothers in Arms (Dire Straits album)
- Original LP track listing :- 2005 Re-Issue 2 LP track listing :The 2005 Limited Edition Deluxe 180 gram High Performance Vinyl reissue contained the full-length versions of all songs by spreading out the songs over two half speed mastered LPs....
album, was sold by Steve in the early 70s. This is a list of some of the guitars Steve has used in his live shows; his current main live guitars are marked +
Acoustic guitars:
- Gibson L4 (1924)+
- Martin 00018 (1931)
- Martin 0016C (1964)
- N.S. Phillips 12-string (1977) (known as 'The Wardrobe')
- N.S. Phillips 6-string (1986)+
- Ralph Bown 12 String (1999)+
Electric guitars:
- National lap steel (1936)
- Gibson L-50 (1937)+
- Gibson ES100 (1938)
- Beltona electric resonator (1992) - the prototype of this model. +
- Phillips-Johnson resonator (2002)
Phillip's official website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
has photographs of many of these instruments.