Glenn Phillips is a guitarist and composer with 18 albums released under his own name. He has also played on many other recordings, including those by his first group, the

Hampton Grease Band The Hampton Grease Band was an American rock band, beginning as a blues rock group in the late 1960s in Atlanta, Georgia. They performed with several major bands in this period, including Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers. The band gained a r ...

Career

Phillips was a founding member, guitarist and songwriter for the obscure

, which formed in 1967. Their double album '' Music to Eat'' was released on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in 1971 and went on to become a much sought-after collector's item. It was also cited as an influence by later groups like

Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell (musician), John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJ ...

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...

, and

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...

. In 1996, it was rereleased by Sony to a great deal of acclaim (In June 1996, ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' magazine gave it a 9 out 10 "Near Perfect" rating). Over the course of the band's six-year career, they played with a wide variety of groups, including the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Its founding members were brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards), as well as Dickey Betts ( ...

and

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

. Zappa was a big fan of the band, and they played with him at the Fillmore East; Phillips jammed with Zappa that evening, as did

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

. Phillips
solo career
began in 1973. He frequently sat in with

Little Feat Little Feat is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George, bassist Roy Estrada (both formerly of the Mothers of Invention), keyboardist Bill Payne, and drummer Richie Hayward in ...

back then, and in an interview,

Lowell George Lowell Thomas George (April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He was the primary guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the rock band Little Feat. Before forming Little ...

called him "the most amazing guitarist I've ever seen." Phillips recorded his first solo album ''Lost at Sea'' in his home and put it out himself in 1975. The record anticipated the do-it-yourself movement that later overtook rock music. The highly influential British

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

disk-jockey

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

regularly played the album, at the time available in the Uk only as an import; it subsequently came second in a reader's poll held by Britain's leading music paper ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

''. Phillips was then contacted by the head of

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and controlled 5 companies remaining of once more than 400. Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneu ...

(later to start up further companies under the Virgin brand) who signed Phillips and released ''Lost at Sea'' on Virgin's subsidiary Caroline Records label. To support this release, Phillips toured Europe extensively - including a show at London's famous

Rainbow Theatre The Rainbow Theatre, originally known as the Finsbury Park Astoria, then the Finsbury Park Paramount Astoria, and then the Finsbury Park Odeon, is a Grade II*-listed building in Finsbury Park, London. The theatre was built in 1930 as an "atmos ...

. Since then, Phillips has toured frequently, and the fact that his music fits into no particular niche has led to a wide spectrum of double-bills over the years with groups as varied as

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born 'Don Glen Vliet'; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the M ...

, Eric Johnson,

Bo Diddley Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...

Roy Buchanan Leroy "Roy" Buchanan (September 23, 1939 – August 14, 1988) was an American guitarist and blues rock musician. A pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan worked as a sideman and as a solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career and t ...

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1975.Talking Heads

Albert King Albert King ( Nelson; April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and ...

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...

and

The Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson (musician), Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar acro ...

. During that time, his albums have garnered a great deal of critical acclaim, and those reviews focus on the unique, unclassifiable nature of his music; its intensely emotional impact; and his seemingly limitless virtuosity. ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...

'' (Nov. 1983) compared him to Hendrix and

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...

, and his double-CD retrospective ''Echoes 1975-1985'' received a 4-star review in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' (Jan. 21, 1993), as did his ''Supreme Court'' album with Jeff Calder (of

The Swimming Pool Q's The Swimming Pool Q's are an American New wave music, new wave/jangle pop band formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1978. They released five albums: ''The Deep End'', ''The Swimming Pool Q's'', ''Blue Tomorrow'', ''World War Two Point Five'', and ''Roya ...

). Phillips has also collaborated with

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with the Other Ones, later known as the Dead ...

of the Grateful Dead and Pete Buck of

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

, who said this about him in ''

Musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

'' magazine: "One of the reasons I don't play solos is because I grew up listening to Glenn Phillips. He never ceases to amaze me." Phillips has also recorded albums with

Henry Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known for his shipbuilding and construction projects, then later for his involvement in fostering modern American health care. Prior to World War II, ...

. His music has regularly been played on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

since 1990. In 2015 Mike Holbrook interviewed Phillips on his radio show where he gave a live performance of "Dogs" from the ''Lost at Sea'' album. Phillips reported the song's inspiration, a dog given to him by Holbrook.

Selected discography

Albums

*''Music to Eat'' (1971) US 30581 & 30582 Holland S66296 double album, (1996) US Shotput/Sony/Legacy C2K 67483 *''Lost at Sea'' (1975) US , rest of world 1519/

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

- reissued in 2015 on Shagrat Records as a double-vinyl set with various previously-unreleased alternate takes *''Swim in the Wind'' (1977) Virgin 2087 *''Dark Lights'' (1980) US *''Razor Pocket'' (1982) US *''St. Valentine's Day'' (1984) US *''Live'' (1985) US 82006 *''Elevator'' (1987) US SST 136, SST CD 136 *''Scratched by the Rabbit'' (1990) US ESD 80432, rest of world *''Supreme Court Goes Electric'' (1994) US *''Walking through Walls'' (1996) US Shotput/Sony WK3700 *''Angel Sparks'' (2003) US GM456 *''Guitar Party'' (2003) - US GM 0130 *''Sun Hex'' (2010) with & US SS14

Singles/EPs

*''

Steve Hillage Stephen Simpson Hillage (born 2 August 1951) is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s. Besides his solo sound recording and reprodu ...

/Glenn Phillips'' (1977) Virgin VDJ 23 promotional tour single contains "Lies" from ''Swim in the Wind'' *''Flyback/She Don't Know'' (1980) US Snow Star 3.1 single from ''Dark Lights''

Compilation albums

*''Echoes 1975-1985'' (1992) US

East Side Digital East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...

, rest of world Virgin CDVM 9015 double CD compilation

Various Artists compilation albums

*''Playback'' (1971) US Columbia AS 23 promotional EP contains "Maria" from ''Music to Eat'' *''Audio Rumbles Vol. 1'' (1997) US Ptolemaic Terrascope on "Live Impro 1970" *''No Age Compilation'' (1987) US SST CD 102 contains "Vista Cruiser" from ''Elevator'' *''If 6 Was 9: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix'' (1990) US Communion 18, rest of world Imaginary, on "If 6 Was 9" from ''Guitar Party'' - *''Passed Normal Vol. 6 & 7'' (1993) US FOT Records FOT PN67 on "Cobra" - recorded live at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall within a week of the same song's being recorded in a studio with the same band for ''Guitar Party''.

Appearances on others' albums

*''Marrying for Money'' (1986) Germany Minor Music 1010 on "Murder One" *''Re-Marrying for Money'' (1988) US SST CD 222 ''Marrying for Money'' LP re-released on CD with 4 extra tracks, on "Murder One" *''Those Who Know History Are Doomed to Repeat It'' (1988) US SST CD 198 on "Dark Star/The Other One" *''Helen Wheels & the Skeleton Crew'' (2001) US Jargon Records JRCD 1101 *''Electric Willie A Tribute To Willie Dixon'' (2010) & Yellowbird

References

Sources

''Rolling Stone''

Rolling Stone
by Parke Puterbaugh, Aug. 20, 1981
Rolling Stone
by Errol Somay, March 17, 1983
Rolling Stone
by David Fricke, Nov. 15, 1990
Rolling Stone
by Parke Puterbaugh, Jan. 21, 1993
Rolling Stone
by Parke Puterbaugh, Feb 10, 1994
Rolling Stone
by David Fricke, March 21, 1996
Rolling Stone
by David Fricke, June 12, 2003

''Guitar Player''

Guitar Player
- by Jim Schwartz, Aug. 1981
Guitar Player
by Mike Varney, Aug. 1982
Guitar Player
by Tom Mulhern, Sept. 1983
Guitar Player
by Tom Mulhern, Aug. 1984
Guitar Player
by Bruce Malamut, Jan. 1986
Guitar Player
Glenn Phillips: Have Guitar, Will Flail by Mark Dery, March 1988
Guitar Player
by

Jim Ferguson James Edwin Ferguson (born December 23, 1948) is an American guitarist, composer, journalist, and educator. He has performed in the U.S. and abroad, is featured on solo guitar CDs showcasing his original compositions for classical guitar, and ...

, May 1991
Guitar Player
Glenn Phillips' Voice In the Night, May 1992
Guitar Player
June 1996
Guitar Player
Sept. 2003
Spin Magazine
- by Byron Cooley, June 1996 *

Stereo Review ''Sound & Vision'' was an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review' ...

- Dec. 1996 *

- November 1990
Musician Magazine
- Glenn Phillips' Psycho-Guitar: The Triumphs & Trials of Being Yourself by David Fricke, Feb. 1983

''Musician Magazine''

Musician Magazine
by David Fricke, Aug. 1984
Musician Magazine
by Jon Young, Jan., 1986
Musician Magazine
April 1991

''Relix''

Relix
- by Mick Skidmore, May 1992
Relix
- by Mick Skidmore, Nov. 1993
Relix
- by Mick Skidmore, June 1996
Relix
- Glenn Phillips: Independently Minded, by Mick Skidmore, June 1997
Relix
- by Mick Skidmore, April/May 2003

''Guitar World''

Guitar World
- by Bruce Malamut, Nov. 1983
Guitar World
- by Bruce Malamut, Nov. 1984
Guitar World
- by Tom Mulhern, Jan. 1986
Guitar World
- July 1988

''Guitar''

Vintage Guitar Magazine
- Glenn Phillips: On His Own Terms by Willie G. Moseley, March 1998
Vintage Guitar Magazine
- by Ken Johnson, July 2003

Others

Men's Journal
by Anthony DeCurtis, Dec. 1996

, 1998, Miller Freeman Books
Mix Magazine
Glenn Phillips: Tales Of The Unknown Guitar Hero by Bill Milkowski, June 1988
Goldmine Magazine
- Interview with Glenn Phillips by Russell Hall, 1996
The Hartford Advocate
by Alan Bisport, July 2003
Metroland
(New York) - b

Sept. 2003
New Musical Express
UK) - by John Lober, July 10, 1976 * Sounds (UK) - by Tony Mitchell, Nov. 5, 1977 *

(UK) - July, 1976

External links

Official Glenn Phillips site

* - recorded at Red Clay Music Foundry May 30, 2015 {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Glenn American rock guitarists American male guitarists Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) Living people Year of birth missing (living people)