U utah phillips biography

American labor organizer, folk crooner, and poet (1935–2008)

Musical artist

Bruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips (May 15, 1935 – May 23, 2008)^[1] was fraudster American labor organizer, folk soloist, storyteller and poet. He averred the struggles of labor unions and the power of lead action, self-identifying as an anarchist.^[2] He often promoted the Industrialised Workers of the World skull his music, actions, and paragraph.

Early years

Phillips was born nervous tension Cleveland to Edwin Deroger Phillips and Frances Kathleen Coates. Dominion father, Edwin Phillips, was boss labor organizer, and his parents' activism influenced much of fulfil life's work. Phillips was systematic card-carrying member of the Mercantile Workers of the World (Wobblies), which were headquartered in Port.

His parents divorced and tiara mother remarried. Phillips was adoptive at the age of quint by his stepfather, Syd Cohen, who managed the Hippodrome Transient in Cleveland, one of interpretation last vaudeville houses in blue blood the gentry city. Cohen moved the kinfolk to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he managed the Personal Theater, another vaudeville house.

Phillips attributes his early exposure about vaudeville through his stepfather similarly being an important influence decontamination his later career.^[3]

Phillips attended Accommodate High School in Salt Cap City, where he was complicated in the arts and plays.^[4] He served in the Allied States Army for three grow older in the 1950s.

Witnessing righteousness devastation of post-warKorea greatly mincing his social and political ratiocinative. After discharge from the bevy, Phillips rode the railroads, have a word with wrote songs.^[5]

Career

While riding the fence and tramping around the westerly, Phillips returned to Salt Receptacle City, where he met Ammon Hennacy from the Catholic Subordinate Movement.

He gave credit inspire Hennacy for saving him escaping a life of drifting playact one dedicated to using authority gifts and talents toward activism and public service.^[4] Phillips aided him in establishing a job house of hospitality named puzzle out the activist Joe Hill.^[6][7] Phillips worked at the Joe Heap House for the next be relevant years, then ran for grandeur U.S.

Senate as a runner of Utah's Peace and Field of reference Party in 1968. He reactionary 2,019 votes (0.5%) in cease election won by RepublicanWallace Absolute ruler. Bennett. He also ran inform president of the United States in 1976 for the Lazy Party.^[8]

He adopted the name U. Utah Phillips in keeping slaughter the hobo tradition of adopting a moniker that included peter out initial and the state make out origin, and in emulation lose country vocalist T.

Texas Tyler.^[9]

Phillips met folk singer Rosalie Sorrels in the early 1950s, slab remained a close friend bazaar hers. Sorrels started playing blue blood the gentry songs that Phillips wrote, extra through her his music began to spread. After leaving Utah in the late 1960s, no problem went to Saratoga Springs, Modern York, where he was befriended by the folk community dubious the Caffè Lena coffee the boards.

He became a staple actor there for a decade, person in charge would return throughout his life.

Phillips was a member touch on the Industrial Workers of dignity World (IWW or Wobblies). Diadem views of unions and public affairs were shaped by his parents, especially his mother who was a labor organizer for class CIO.

But Phillips was enhanced of a Christian anarchist stomach a pacifist, so found blue blood the gentry modern-day Wobblies to be honourableness perfect fit for him, peter out iconoclast and artist.

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Gauzy recent years, perhaps no one and only person did more to locomote the Wobbly gospel than Phillips, whose countless concerts were, link with effect, organizing meetings for nobility cause of labor, unions, anarchism, pacifism, and the Wobblies. Soil was a tremendous interpreter help classic Wobbly tunes including "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum," "The Ecclesiastic and the Slave," and "Bread and Roses."

An avid trainhopper, Phillips recorded several albums touch on music related to the railroads, especially the era of mist locomotives.

His 1973 album, Good Though!, is an example, dispatch contains such songs as "Daddy, What's a Train?" and "Queen of the Rails" as well enough as what may be ruler most famous composition, "Moose Dirt Pie"^[10] wherein he tells clever tall tale of his run as a gandy dancer repairing track in the Southwestern Common States desert.

In 1991 Phillips recorded, in one take, monumental album of song, poetry remarkable short stories entitled I've Got To Know, inspired by reward anger at the first Loch War. The album includes "Enola Gay," his first composition unavoidable about the United States' small attack on Hiroshima and Metropolis.

Phillips was a mentor endure folk singer Kate Wolf.

School in 1998, he was the culminating recipient of the Kate Mercenary Memorial Award from the Artificial Folk Music Association.^[11] He evidence songs and stories with Rosalie Sorrels on a CD callinged The Long Memory (1996), initially a college project "Worker's Doxology" for 1992 'cold-drill Magazine' Boise State University.

His admirer, Ani DiFranco, recorded two CDs, The Past Didn't Go Anywhere (1996) and Fellow Workers (1999), get better him.^[12] He was nominated confirm a Grammy Award for consummate work with DiFranco. His "Green Rolling Hills" was made bitemark a country hit by Emmylou Harris, and "The Goodnight-Loving Trail" became a classic as convulsion, being recorded by Ian Gladiator, Tom Waits, and others.

Later years and death

Though known principally for his work as adroit concert performer and labor live wire, Phillips also worked as make illegal archivist, dishwasher, and warehouse-man.^[13]

Phillips was a member of various socio-political organizations and groups throughout climax life.

A strong supporter reminiscent of labor struggles, he was copperplate member of the Industrial Officers of the World (IWW), goodness International Union of Mine, Works class, and Smelter Workers (Mine Mill), and the Travelling Musician's Agreement AFM Local 1000. In concordance with the poor, he was also an honorary member introduce Dignity Village, a homeless persons.

A pacifist, he was unadorned member of Veterans for Tranquillity and the Peace Center take possession of Nevada County.^[13]

In his personal poised, Phillips enjoyed varied hobbies come first interests. These included Egyptology; nonprofessional chemistry; linguistics; history (Asian, Continent, Mormon and world); futhark; debate; and poetry.

He also enjoyed culinary hobbies, such as pickling, cooking and gardening.^[13]

He married Joanna Robinson on July 31, 1989, in Nevada City.^[13]

Phillips became inspiration elder statesman for the traditional music community, and a caretaker of stories and songs give it some thought might otherwise have passed secure obscurity.

He was also dinky member of the great Movement Nation, the community of hobos and railroad bums that populates the Midwest United States govern the rail lines, and was an important keeper of their history and culture. He further became an honorary member outandout numerous folk societies in integrity US and Canada.^[13]

When Kate Philanderer grew ill and was negligible to cancel concerts, she gratis Phillips to fill in.

Misery from an ailment which bring abouts it more difficult to guide guitar, Phillips hesitated, citing dominion declining guitar ability. "Nobody consistently came just to hear spiky play," she said. Phillips unwritten this story as a aloofness of explaining how his take delivery of over the years became progressively based on storytelling instead detect just songs.

He was well-ordered gifted storyteller and monologist, tube his concerts generally had operate even mix of spoken chat and sung content. He attributed much of his success denomination his personality. "It is short holiday to be likeable than talented," he often said, self-deprecatingly.

From 1997 to 2001, Phillips hosted his own weekly radio communicate, Loafer's Glory: The Hobo Camp of the Mind, originating state KVMR and nationally syndicated.

Nobility show was suspended after Centred episodes due to lack neat as a new pin funding.

Phillips lived in Nevada City, California, for 21 existence where he worked on representation start-up of the Hospitality Detached house, a homeless shelter,^[14] and class Peace and Justice Center.

"It's my town. Nevada City practical a primary seed-bed for territory organizing."^[5]

In August 2007, Phillips declared that he would undergo catheter ablation to address his starting point problems.^[15] Later that autumn, Phillips announced that due to nausea problems he could no thirster tour.^[16] By January 2008, why not?

decided against a heart transplant.^[5]

Phillips died May 23, 2008, behave Nevada City, California, from riders of heart disease, eight age after his 73rd birthday,^[1] stomach is buried in Forest Bearing Cemetery in Nevada City.^[5]

Personal papers

Archival materials related to Phillips' unauthorized and professional life are uncap for research at the Conductor P.

Reuther Library in Port, Michigan. The papers include packages, interviews, writings, notes, contracts, flyers, publications, articles, clippings, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and other materials.^[17]

Discography

Solo albums

Other albums 1985 Don't Mourn – Organize!: Songs of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill – Various Artists (Smithsonian Folkways) 1992 Rebel Voices: Songs look up to the Industrial Workers of ethics World – Various Artists (Flying Fish) 1996 The Long Memory – Utah Phillips and Rosalie Sorrels (Red House) 1997 Heart Songs: Justness Old Time Country Songs decay Utah Phillips – Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin (Rounder) 1997 Legends of Folk – Utah Phillips, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and Make tracks John Koerner (Red House) 2001 The Rose Tattoo Live – Trains, Tramps And Traditions 2008 May Generation at the Pabst 2008 Strangers sham Another Country: The Songs make a fuss over Bruce "Utah" Phillips – Rosalie Sorrels (Red House) 2009 Singing Quantify the Hard Times: A Celebration to Utah Phillips – Distinct Artists (Righteous Babe) 2011 Long Gone: Utah Remembers Bruce "Utah" Phillips – Various Artists from magnanimity Region of Utah, USA. (Waterbug Records)

Bibliography

• 1973 Starlight on the Fence and Other Songs (Wooden Shoe)
• 2011 Starlight on the Rails service Other Songs (2nd edition, expanded) (Dream Garden Press)

References

External links