Phil Upchurch Explained

Phil Upchurch
Background:non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth Date:19 July 1941
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois
Genre:Jazz, blues, soul, R&B
Occupation:Musician
Instrument:Guitar
Years Active:1950s–present
Label:Chess, Cadet, Blue Thumb
Associated Acts:Rotary Connection

Phillip Upchurch (born July 19, 1941)[1] is an American jazz and blues guitarist and bassist.

Career

Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, and Jimmy Reed. (His association with Kool Gents member Dee Clark would continue, including playing guitar on Clark's 1961 solo hit "Raindrops".) He then returned to Chicago to play and record with Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Groove Holmes, B.B. King, and Dizzy Gillespie.

In 1961, his record "You Can't Sit Down" by the Philip Upchurch Combo,[2] sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[3] "You Can't Sit Down, Part 2" peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard charts in the US.[4] And he released his first album. In the 1960s he toured with Oscar Brown, appearing on the 1965 live album, Mr. Oscar Brown, Jr. Goes to Washington. In the mid-1960s he was house guitarist of Chess Records and he played with The Dells, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Gene Chandler.[2] He also played with John Lee Hooker, Grover Washington, Jr. and Cannonball Adderley. Upchurch was part of a group called The Soulful Strings during the 1960s, prior to working with the Rotary Connection on Chess's Cadet label.

In the 1970s, he worked with Donny Hathaway, Harvey Mason, Ramsey Lewis, Quincy Jones and led his own quartet with Tennyson Stephens.[5] [2] He met Bob Krasnow and Tommy LiPuma, the founders of Blue Thumb Records, and he released Darkness Darkness. Upchurch played on Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" and "The Ghetto". He also played guitar on Hathaway's Live album (1972).[6] In the mid-1970s and 1980s, he performed with George Benson, Mose Allison, Gary Burton, Lenny Breau,[7] Joe Williams, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Carmen McRae, Cat Stevens, David Sanborn, and Michael Jackson. In the 1990s he worked with Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff.

Discography

As leader

With the Soulful Strings

As sideman

With Mose Allison

With Anita Baker

With George Benson

With Oscar Brown Jr.

With Peabo Bryson and Natalie Cole

With Dee Clark

With Natalie Cole

With Bob Dylan

With Sheena Easton

With Stan Getz

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Donny Hathaway

With Red Holloway

With Howlin' Wolf

With Michael Jackson

With Dr. John

With Chaka Khan

With Hubert Laws

With Ramsey Lewis

With Jack McDuff

With Carmen McRae

With Jimmy Reed

With Minnie Riperton

With Rotary Connection

With Ben Sidran

With Jimmy Smith

With Muddy Waters

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. registration. 6. Phil Upchurch.. Leonard. Feather. Ira. Gitler. November 18, 1999. Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-507418-5 . Internet Archive.
  2. Book: The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Colin Larkin. Colin Larkin (writer). Virgin Books. 1997. Concise. 1-85227-745-9. 1204/5.
  3. Book: Murrells, Joseph . 1978 . The Book of Golden Discs . 2nd . Barrie and Jenkins Ltd . London . 140 . 0-214-20512-6 . registration .
  4. [Joel Whitburn]
  5. Web site: Phil Upchurch Page. Soulwalking.co.uk. September 29, 2019.
  6. Web site: Donny Hathaway: Live: Credits . AllMusic . November 2, 2023.
  7. Phil Upchurch, "Companions" – Jam Records, 1984

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