Phil Upchurch

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Phil Upchurch
Phil Upchurch at the 2012 NAMM Convention in Anaheim, California
Phil Upchurch at the 2012 NAMM Convention in Anaheim, California
Background information
Born (1941-07-19) July 19, 1941 (age 82)
Chicago, Illinois
GenresJazz, blues, soul, R&B
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1950s–present
LabelsChess, Cadet, Blue Thumb
Websitephilupchurch.com

Philip 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,

B.B. King, and Dizzy Gillespie
.

In 1961, his record "

Grover Washington, Jr.[5] 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,[5] 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

  • Paint It Black (Cadet/Chess #LPS-776, 1966)
  • Groovin' with the Soulful Strings (Cadet/Chess #LPS-796, 1967)
  • Another Exposure (Cadet/Chess #LPS-805, 1968)
  • The Magic of Christmas (Cadet/Chess #LPS-814, 1968)
  • Back by Demand: The Soulful Strings in Concert (Cadet/Chess #LPS-820, 1969)
  • String Fever (Cadet/Chess #LPS-834, 1969)
  • Play Gamble-Huff (Cadet/Chess/GRT #LPS-846, 1971)
  • The Best of the Soulful Strings (Cadet/Chess/GRT #2CA-50022, 1972) compilation/2-LP set

As sideman

With Mose Allison

  • Middle Class White Boy (Elektra Musician, 1982)

With Anita Baker

With George Benson

With

Oscar Brown Jr.

With Peabo Bryson and Natalie Cole

With Dee Clark

  • Raindrops
     (Vee Jay, 1961)

With Natalie Cole

With Bob Dylan

With Sheena Easton

  • No Strings
     (MCA, 1993)

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

  • Stay Loose (Verve, 1968)
  • Prime Time (Milestone, 1989)
  • Sum Serious Blues (Milestone, 1993)
  • Dot Com Blues (Blue Thumb, 2000)
  • Black Cat (Castle Pie, 2001)

With Muddy Waters

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-19-507418-5
    – via Internet Archive. Phil Upchurch.
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-85227-745-9
    .
  3. ISBN 0-214-20512-6
    .
  4. ^ Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles. 12th edition, 2009, p. 1013.
  5. ^ a b c "Phil Upchurch Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  6. ^ "Donny Hathaway: Live: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Phil Upchurch, "Companions" – Jam Records, 1984

External links

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