Phil Seymour

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For the American football player, see Phil Seymour (American football).
Phil Seymour
Seymour in 1982
Seymour in 1982
Background information
Birth namePhilip Warren Seymour
Born(1952-05-15)May 15, 1952
OriginOklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States of America
DiedAugust 17, 1993(1993-08-17) (aged 41)
Tarzana Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
GenresRock
Power pop
New wave
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, drummer, guitarist, bassist, producer
Instrument(s)Drums, bass guitar, guitar, vocals
Years active1974–1993
LabelsShelter Records
Boardwalk Records
EMI
Websitephilseymour.org

Philip Warren Seymour (May 15, 1952 – August 17, 1993) was an American drummer, singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known for the singles "

American Girl" and "Breakdown." His solo work is revered among fans of power pop.[1]

Dwight Twilley Band

Main article: Dwight Twilley

In 1967, Seymour met fellow Tulsa musician

The Dwight Twilley Band
.

I'll never forget the cold November night at the Church Studios in Tulsa. Phil and I had just signed our first recording contract. We had been instructed by the record company to get acquainted with working in a "real" 16-track studio and not to record a "real" record. In the confusion of a pivotal moment, it was Phil who pulled me into a secluded hallway and said "Dwight, let's make a hit record right now." That night we recorded "I'm on Fire."

- Dwight Twilley, in an excerpt from Phil Seymour's letter of remembrance.

"I'm on Fire", with little promotion, reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending August 2, 1975. The Dwight Twilley Band recorded two albums together, with Phil and Dwight singing lead and harmony vocals, Phil playing drums and bass, Dwight playing guitar and vocals, and their friend Bill Pitcock IV contributing lead guitar. However, a string of unlucky breaks played a significant role in limiting their success. In 1978, Seymour left the band to pursue a solo career.

Solo years

In the downtime between recording deals, he worked as a session musician as well as played drums for

American Girl," and "Strangered In The Night" from his debut album, along with "Magnolia" from Petty's sophomore effort. During 1978, Seymour also traveled to England to work on a solo recording with Denny Cordell producing - five songs were recorded with Chris Spedding
on guitar. Two of the songs were released on the compilation Precious to Me and all five on the 2016 CD The London And Los Angeles Unreleased Sessions.

Phil Seymour, as seen on the cover of his first solo album

In 1980, Seymour signed to

Trying to Get to You
" as well as Phil's "Baby It's You", included on Poptopia: Powerpop Classics of the 80s, a compilation released in 1997 by Rhino.

His second solo album Phil Seymour 2 was released in 1982 but featured less original material. It included the Tom Petty song "Surrender". [3] Boardwalk Records' founder Neil Bogart died shortly after its release, which collapsed the label (not a new experience for Seymour as Shelter Records had collapsed during the Dwight Twilley Band days), and Seymour was again without a record deal.

In August 1986, Seymour had a ten-hour recording session with Phil Spector. Seymour's manager at the time, Stuart Batsford, said Spector's behavior at the time was "very, very odd, and on the edge of something that I'd never experienced before with anyone."[4]

Illness and posthumous releases

In 1984, Seymour joined the Textones, a roots rock band led by Carla Olson and George Callins. With them, he recorded the Midnight Mission, and toured with them as a singer and drummer. During the tour, he noticed lumps appearing on his neck, and he was diagnosed with lymphoma. Seymour moved back to Tulsa to undergo treatment for the cancer and continued to record and play live locally, albeit at a much diminished pace, until his death on August 17, 1993, at the Tarzana Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 41.[5]

In 1996, after its acquisition of Shelter Records,

Fuel 2000 Records
(Universal) in October 2011 with 10 previously unreleased bonus tracks.

On April 24, 2020, Sunset Blvd. Records released "If You Don't Want My Love". The album features previously unreleased recordings produced by Denny Cordell, including the title track, written by Phil Spector and John Prine.

Discography

The Dwight Twilley Band

Solo

Textones

  • Midnight Mission (1984, reissued 2001)
  • Detroit '85 Live & Unreleased (2008, first release, Collectors' Choice Music)

References

  1. ^ "Phil Seymour - Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  2. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  3. ^ Momme, Karen. Phil Seymour, 1980-82. Description approved by Phil Seymour. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  4. ^ Stuart Batsford shoots the breeze with Phil Spector, retrieved 2023-10-20
  5. ^ OLIVER, MYRNA (20 August 1993). "Phil Seymour, 41; Rock Singer and Drummer". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 5 December 2017.

External links

Videos
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