Washington Phillips
Washington Phillips | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | George Washington Phillips |
Born | Texas, U.S. (probably Freestone County)[1][2] | January 11, 1880
Died | September 20, 1954 Teague, Texas, U.S. | (aged 74)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1927–29 |
George Washington "Wash" Phillips (January 11, 1880 – September 20, 1954)
Biography
He was born in Texas, on January 11, 1880, the son of Tim Phillips (from Mississippi) and Nancy Phillips (née Cooper, from Texas).[1]
People who knew him as an adult recalled him as standing about 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) or 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) tall, and being "stocky" or about 180 lb (82 kg); and that he was a
It's right to stand together, it's wrong to stand apart,
'Cause none's going to heaven but the pure in heart. And that's all.
Between 1927 and 1929, he recorded 18 songs for Columbia Records in a makeshift recording studio in Dallas, Texas, under the direction of Frank B. Walker. Six of those songs were the first and second parts of three two-part songs, intended for opposite sides of one record. Four songs were unreleased at the time, and two are thought to have been lost.
On September 20, 1954, he died of head injuries,[1] sustained in a fall down a flight of stairs at the welfare office in Teague. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Cotton Gin Cemetery, six miles west of Teague. His wife Marie outlived him.[4][5]
Some sources give his birthdate as c. 1892 and/or his date and place of death as December, 1938 in Austin State Hospital. Research has shown that that was a different Washington Phillips, the son of Houston Phillips and Emma Phillips (née Titus); he too farmed near Teague.[4]
Some sources (notably, some AllMusic entries) refer to him as "Blind Washington Phillips". There is no suggestion in other reliable sources that he had anything less than perfect sight.
In September 2023, a headstone was placed for Washington Phillips by the Killer Blues Headstone Project in Cotton Gin Cemetery outside Teague, Texas.
Phillips' instruments
A photograph in The Louisiana Weekly of January 14, 1928, shows Phillips holding two fretless zither-like instruments. That date lies between the second and third of his five recording sessions. The instrument in his right hand has been identified as a celestaphone and that in his left as a phonoharp, both manufactured by the Phonoharp Company; in both cases with the hammer attachment missing (the instruments as sold were a type of hammered dulcimer).[6]
In the 1960s, Frank B. Walker identified Phillips' instrument to
The aural evidence suggests Phillips strummed and plucked the strings of his instrument, and did not hammer them. Some listeners have claimed to discern differences between the instruments he used in different songs.[7]
In 2016, journalist Michael Corcoran discovered a 1907 newspaper article which reported that Phillips' name for his instrument was a "manzarene", and further described it as "a box about 2×3 feet, 6 inches deep, [on] which he has strung violin strings, something on the order of an autoharp... He uses both hands and plays all sorts of airs. Others were influenced by Mike Ferguson's references that Washington had created his music on a simple 6 string, but Ferguson later discredited that after further review".[8] This newly discovered name for the instrument was factored into the title of a 2016 collection of Phillips' surviving recordings, Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams.[9]
Grammy nominations
The album, Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams, received two nominations for the
Discography
Cultural legacy
Numerous compilations of Washington Phillips' complete recorded work have been released, such as The Key to the Kingdom on Yazoo Records in 2005. His songs have been covered by a variety of artists:
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe recorded "That's All" in 1938 (Decca 2503B): it is "Denomination Blues" with altered words and with a different title, taken from the refrain
- Ry Cooder recorded Phillips' "Denomination Blues" on his 1971 album Into the Purple Valley and "You Can't Stop a Tattler", as "Tattler", on his album Paradise and Lunch (1974). Linda Ronstadt covered Cooder's "Tattler" arrangement on her 1976 Hasten Down The Wind album.
- "Denomination Blues" has also been recorded by the contemporary Christian groups 2nd Chapter of Acts on their 1975 live album To the Bride with Barry McGuire, and The 77s on their debut album Ping Pong over the Abyss (1983).
- Jorma Kaukonen recorded "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" as the closing song of his 2002 album Blue Country Heart.
- Will Oldham recorded Phillips' "I Had a Good Father and Mother" on the Palace Brothers album There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You (1993). Gillian Welch also recorded this song on her 2003 album entitled Soul Journey.
- The Be Good Tanyas recorded "What are They Doing in Heaven Today" on Hello Love.
- "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" was used in a scene in the movie, Elizabethtown, where the main character visits The Survivor Tree in Oklahoma.
- French TV series of the same name.
- Phillips' "I Am Born to Preach the Gospel" features on the soundtrack of My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?. It was also featured in the song "The Dyslexic Porn Star Who Funked in Her Space" by the British band Morcheeba.
- Ralph Stanley recorded Phillips' "Lift Him Up That's All" on his 2011 album A Mother's Prayer.
- In 2009, Atlas Sound sampled Phillips' "Lift Him Up That's All" for the song "Washington School" on the Logos album.
- Phillips' song "Mothers Last Word to Her Son" was featured in the film We Need to Talk About Kevin.
- Montreal-based saxophonist Colin Stetson covered "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" on New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light. The track features Bon Iver's Justin Vernon on vocals.
- Mavis Staples recorded "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" on her 2015 EP, Your Good Fortune.
- Kate Wolf recorded "I Had A Good Father and Mother" on her 1994 live album, Looking Back At You. The track includes a spoken introduction about listening to Washington Phillips' records.
- Live at 9:30.
References
- ^ a b c d "TSHA | Phillips, George Washington". Tshaonline.org. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ASIN B00G24VXXG.
- ^ ISBN 978-0810882966. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Corcoran, Michael (December 29, 2002). "Exhuming the Legend of Washington Phillips". Austin Statesman. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ van Rijn, Guido (2003). "Washington Phillips – Storefront and Street Gospel". Document-records.com. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Miner, Gregg; Williams, Kelly. "The Instruments of Washington Phillips". Minermusic.com. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Miner, Gregg. "Washington Phillips CD study (Yazoo Records)". Minermusic.com. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
- ^ Petrusich, Amanda. "Some Of Us Are Still Haunted by Washington Phillips". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^ Powell, Mike. "Washington Phillips: Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams Album Review | Pitchfork". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved December 4, 2016.