Sam Phillips (musician)
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Leslie Ann Phillips (born January 28, 1962), better known by her
stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
Sam Phillips, is an American singer and songwriter. Her albums include the critically acclaimed '' Martinis & Bikinis'' in 1994 and ''
Fan Dance In the West, a fan dance (i.e., a dance performed with fans) may be an erotic dance performance, traditionally by a woman, but not exclusively. Beyond eroticism it is a form of musical interpretation. The performer, sometimes entirely nude ...
'' in 2001. She has also composed scores for the television shows ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'', '' Bunheads'', and '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''.


Early life

Phillips was born in
Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...
to parents William and Peggy Phillips. She is the second of three children and has a brother and a sister. She was given the nickname Sam, which would later become her stage name. Phillips started singing at a young age, along with dancing, painting, and playing the piano. Phillips also started studying philosophy and fundamentalism at the age of 14. Phillips began writing songs as a teenager to cope with her parents' divorce.


Career

Phillips began her musical career in the early 1980s in the contemporary Christian music industry, where she sang background vocals for
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
artists Mark Heard and Randy Stonehill. Phillips was signed as a solo artist with Myrrh Records under her given name and recorded four Christian pop albums: '' Beyond Saturday Night'', '' Dancing with Danger'', '' Black and White in a Grey World'', and '' The Turning''. ''The Turning'' teamed her with producer T Bone Burnett, who had worked with artists
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
,
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
, and
Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...
. The two would later get married. Several of Phillips' songs became Top 10 singles on Christian radio and Myrrh Records promoted her as "the Christian
Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...
". Phillips was never comfortable with this image, and it was a bone of contention between her and her label. She began using the name "Sam" professionally in 1988 when she left Myrrh Records and signed with
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), ...
in order to distance herself from her prior persona. With '' The Indescribable Wow'', Philips moved into mainstream music. The album featured the orchestrations of Van Dyke Parks and took influence from 1960's pop. '' Cruel Inventions'' was released in 1991, and included a guest performance by Elvis Costello. 1994's '' Martinis and Bikinis'' was widely praised by music critics and was nominated for a
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
, her second nomination (the first was as Leslie Phillips). In 1995, Phillips made her film acting debut as the mute terrorist Katya in the
Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...
blockbuster '' Die Hard with a Vengeance''. In 1996, Phillips released '' Omnipop (It's Only a Flesh Wound Lambchop)'', which featured a song co-written by R.E.M. Phillips made a cameo appearance in the 1997
Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker and photographer, who is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among the honors he has received are prizes from the Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, Venice International Film ...
film '' The End of Violence'', singing part of the song "Animals on Wheels" from ''Omnipop''. After releasing a contractually obligated "best of" album in 1999, Virgin Records dropped Phillips from its roster.Zinn, M. R., & Vaughn, V. E. (2014)
Sam Phillips
In T. Ratiner (Ed.)
''Contemporary Musicians''
(Vol. 78, pp. 132-135). Gale. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
In 2001, Phillips signed with
Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Nonesuch ...
, evolving her musical style to a stripped-down, acoustically based sound on her album called ''
Fan Dance In the West, a fan dance (i.e., a dance performed with fans) may be an erotic dance performance, traditionally by a woman, but not exclusively. Beyond eroticism it is a form of musical interpretation. The performer, sometimes entirely nude ...
'', as well as guest appearances from musical partners Gillian Welch on vocals and David Rawlings on piano, for whom T Bone Burnett had produced several years earlier. Phillips also began writing music for and scoring the television series ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'', and appeared in the final episode of season six, performing "Taking Pictures" from her ''Fan Dance'' album. In 2004, she released '' A Boot and a Shoe'', another collection of acoustically based songs, similar in style to ''Fan Dance''. In 2006 she was ranked at No. 94 on '' Paste'' magazine's list of the top 100 living songwriters. After the release of ''A Boot and a Shoe'', Phillips and T Bone Burnett, who had been her longtime producer, divorced, although they continued to work together to finish her album. Her album '' Don't Do Anything'' was self-produced and released in 2008. In October 2009, Phillips launched ''The Long Play'', a music subscription service offering digital releases without a record label. The first subscription only EP, ''Hypnotists in Paris'', was recorded with the Section Quartet and a Christmas collection ''Cold Dark Night'', ''Magic for Everyone'', ''Old Tin Pan'', and ''Days of the One Night Stands'' followed, with the full-length album Cameras in the Sky being released in early 2010. In Spring of 2011 she issued '' Solid State'', a public CD release comprising 13 of the best songs from her subscription service. In 2012, it was announced that she would be reunited with ''Gilmore Girls'' creator Amy Sherman-Palladino by scoring music for the short-lived American TV show '' Bunheads''. Phillips described her next album, ''Pretty Time Bomb'' (later renamed ''Push Any Button''), as being "a nostalgic sort of dream of being a pop star in the 60s and early 70s. It's a sweet kind of album and I don't know where it came from. I don't know what compelled me to make it. It's probably a bad idea, but every time I listen to what I've done, it makes me really happy. So I figure, that must mean something and I should go ahead and put it out there." '' Push Any Button'' was released on August 13, 2013. Phillips has described ''Push Any Button'' as 'an impressionistic version of the AM pop radio playing inside her head'—a way of 'looking at the future through the past. For the vinyl release through her website, Phillips created a limited run of unique handmade collages on repurposed vintage LP sleeves sourced from flea markets. In 2015, a suite of these collage artworks were exhibited at Gertrude Contemporary in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
,
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in an exhibition called ''Lost and Profound'' curated by Daniel Mudie Cunningham. In 2013, Phillips' first live concert album, ''Sam Phillips: Live @ Largo at The Coronet'', was made available digitally through her website, and is also the title of a 2019 documentary directed by Dave Rygalski, who filmed the 2013 performances. On November 21, 2016, Phillips released an eight-track downloadable EP ''Human Contact is Never Easy'', which included new tracks off her next album ''World on Sticks''. Phillips reunited with Amy Sherman-Palladino as composer for '' Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life'', a revival of the television series, which was released on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on November 25, 2016. In September 2018, Phillips released ''World on Sticks''.


Personal life

In 1989, Phillips married producer and musician T-Bone Burnett. Stewart, Perry, "Nightcrawler: A Star Is Born" ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' January 9, 1998 Phillips and Burnett divorced in 2004; both have since remarried, Phillips to Eric Gorfain.


Selected awards

* 1985: Grammy Award for Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female (nominee) for '' Black and White in a Grey World'' – as Leslie Phillips * 1994: Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance (nominee) for "Circle of Fire" from '' Martinis & Bikinis'' – as Sam Phillips * 2011: ''
Image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...
'', Denise Levertov Award


Discography


Albums


As Leslie Phillips

* 1983: '' Beyond Saturday Night'' (
Myrrh Myrrh (; from an unidentified ancient Semitic language, see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a few small, thorny tree species of the '' Commiphora'' genus, belonging to the Burseraceae family. Myrrh resin has been used ...
) * 1984: '' Dancing with Danger'' (Myrrh) * 1985: '' Black and White in a Grey World'' (Myrrh) * 1987: '' The Turning'' (Myrrh)


As Sam Phillips

* 1988: '' The Indescribable Wow'' (
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 ...
) * 1991: '' Cruel Inventions'' (Virgin) * 1994: '' Martinis & Bikinis'' (Virgin) * 1996: '' Omnipop (It's Only a Flesh Wound Lambchop)'' (Virgin) * 2001: ''
Fan Dance In the West, a fan dance (i.e., a dance performed with fans) may be an erotic dance performance, traditionally by a woman, but not exclusively. Beyond eroticism it is a form of musical interpretation. The performer, sometimes entirely nude ...
'' ( Nonesuch) * 2004: '' A Boot and a Shoe'' (Nonesuch) * 2008: '' Don't Do Anything'' (Nonesuch) * 2011: '' Cameras in the Sky'' (Littlebox) * 2011: ''Solid State'' (Littlebox) * 2013: '' Push Any Button'' (Littlebox) * 2018: ''World on Sticks'' (Littlebox) * 2019: ''Cold Dark Nights'' (Littlebox)


Digital EPs

* 2009: ''Hypnotists in Paris'' * 2009: ''Cold Dark Night'' * 2010: ''Magic for Everybody'' * 2010: ''Old Tin Pan'' * 2010: ''Days of the One Night Stands'' * 2016: ''Human Contact is Never Easy''


Compilations


As Leslie Phillips

* 1987: ''
Recollection Recall in memory refers to the mental process of retrieving information from the past. Along with encoding and storage, it is one of the three core processes of memory. There are three main types of recall: free recall, cued recall and serial r ...
'' (Myrrh) * 2007: ''The Definitive Collection'' (Myrrh)


As Sam Phillips

* 1998: '' Zero Zero Zero'' (Virgin) * 2008: ''The Disappearing Act 1987–1998'' (Raven)


Compilation appearances

* 1981: ''Back to the Rock'' – "Bring Me Through" * 1985: ''Love Songs for Christian Couples – Vol. 1'' – "Enough for Me" * 1986: ''Not Gonna Bow'' "Black and White in a Grey World" * 1992: ''A Midnight Clear'' (soundtrack) – " It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" * 1994: ''Ready to Wear (Pret–a–porter)'' (soundtrack) – " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" * 1994: ''Melrose Place: The Music'' – "Baby, I Can't Please You" * 2002: ''Maranatha! Anthology: The Artists, 1971–2001'' – "Bring Me Through" * 2002: '' Our Little Corner of the World: Music from Gilmore Girls'' – "Tell Her What She Wants to Know" * 2002: '' Hear Music Volume 7: Waking'' ( Hear Music) – "Is That Your Zebra?" * 2003: ''Crossing Jordan'' (soundtrack) – "
I Wanna Be Your Man "I Wanna Be Your Man" is a Lennon–McCartney-penned song first recorded and released as a single by the Rolling Stones, and then recorded by the Beatles for their second studio album '' With the Beatles''. The song was primarily written by Pau ...
" * 2009: '' Crazy Heart'' – "Reflecting Light" * 2011: ''Kings & Queens'' (Blackie & the Rodeo Kings) – "Love Lay Me Down"


As guest

* 1981: '' Stop the Dominoes'' by Mark Heard – backing vocals * 1982: '' Victims of the Age'' by Mark Heard – backing vocals * 1983: ''Side By Side'' by
The Imperials The Imperials is an American contemporary Christian music group that has been active for over 60 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There ...
– guest vocals on "Make My Heart Your Home" * 1983; ''
Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...
'' by Randy Stonehill – backing vocals * 1990: '' Dry Bones Dance'' by Mark Heard – backing vocals * 1991: ''Nothing but a Burning Light'' by Bruce Cockburn – backing vocals on "Great Big Love" * 1992: '' Life Is Messy'' by
Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...
– backing vocals on "Let's Make Trouble" * 1992: '' Satellite Sky'' by Mark Heard – backing vocals * 1993: ''
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
'' by
Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to folk- and jazz-influenced rock to soundscapes accompanying spoken stories. His lyrics reflect interests in spirit ...
- arr. and backing vocals on "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" * 1996: '' Bringing Down the Horse'' by
The Wallflowers The Wallflowers are an American rock music, rock solo project of American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Dylan. The Wallflowers were originally a roots rock band formed in Los Angeles by Dylan and guitarist Tobi Miller. It ha ...
– backing vocals on "Invisible City" and "Laughing Out Loud" * 2015: ''Airless Midnight'' by Eszter Balint – backing vocals on "The Mother" and "Exit at 63"


Selected collaborations

* 2009: '' Raising Sand'' by
Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of eight and recording for the first time at ...
and
Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...
– featured Phillips' song “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us” off of ''Don't Do Anything'' – the record won
Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...
* 2018: '' She Remembers Everything'' by
Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Cash. Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws f ...
– co-wrote title track


Singles

As Leslie Phillips As Sam Phillips


Composer of television music

* 2000–2007: ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'' (153 episodes) * 2012–2013: '' Bunheads'' (18 episodes) * 2017–2019: '' The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' (19 episodes)


Selected filmography

* 1993: '' Ruby in Paradise'' – opening credits song, "Raised on Promises" * 1995: '' Die Hard with a Vengeance'' – as Katya * 1997: '' The End of Violence'' – as a singer * 2006: ''
Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...
'' – as a troubadour


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Sam 1962 births Living people 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers American women pop singers American women rock singers American women singer-songwriters American folk rock musicians American rock musicians American rock songwriters American television composers Singer-songwriters from California Nonesuch Records artists Myrrh Records artists Virgin Records artists