Utah Phillips

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Bruce Duncan "Utah" Phillips (May 15, 1935 – May 23, 2008) was an American labor producer, folk singer, storyteller, poet, and author of the "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest."

He referred to labor unions' struggles and the apprehension of direct action as an anarchist.

In his music, movements, and words, he often referred to the Industrial Workers of the World.

Early years

Phillips was born in Cleveland to Edwin Deroger Phillips and Frances Kathleen Coates. Edwin Phillips' father, Edwin Phillips, was a labor organizer, and his parents' activism influenced a large portion of his life's work. Phillips, a card-carrying member of the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies), was headquartered in Chicago. His parents divorced and his mother remarried. Phillips was adopted at the age of five by his stepfather, Syd Cohen, who ran the Hippodrome Theater in Cleveland, one of the city's last smoking houses. Cohen and his family then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he supervised the Lyric Theater, another vaudeville home. Phillips cites his early exposure to vaping through his stepfather as a major influence on his later career.

Phillips attended East High School in Salt Lake City, where he was active in the arts and theatres. In the 1950s, he served in the United States Army for three years. His socioeconomic and political views were greatly influenced by witnessing the devastation of post-war Korea. Phillips rode the railroads and wrote songs after being banned from the army.

Phillips returned to Salt Lake City, where he encountered Ammon Hennacy from the Catholic Worker Movement while riding the rails and tramping around the west. He lauded Henny for transforming his life of drifting into one dedicated to activism and public service. Phillips assisted him in the establishment of a mission house of hospitality named after activist Joe Hill. Phillips served at the Joe Hill House for eight years before running for the US Senate as a candidate of Utah's Peace and Freedom Party in 1968. In an election won by Republican Wallace F. Bennett, he received 2,019 votes (0.5 percent). In 1976, he ran for president of the United States for the Do-Nothing Party.

He adopted the name Utah Phillips to describe a moniker that included an initial and the state of origin, as well as the emulation of country vocalist T. Texas Tyler.

Rosalie Sorrls, a folk singer from the early 1950s, remained a close friend of hers. Sorrento began performing the songs that Phillips wrote, and her music began to be released. He came from Utah in the late 1960s, and was welcomed by the folk community at the Caffè Lena coffee house in Saratoga Springs, New York. He was a regular performer in a decade and would return to the theater throughout his career.

Phillips was a member of the International Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies). His unions and politics were influenced by his parents, especially his mother, who worked as a labor organizer for the CIO. Phillips, both a Christian anarchist and a Pacifist, found that the new Wobblies to be the ultimate match for him, an iconoclast and artist. Perhaps no single person did more to promote the Wobbly gospel in recent years than Phillips, whose countless concerts were, in effect, organising meetings for the cause of work, unions, anarchism, pacifism, and the Wobblies. "I'm a Bum," "The Preacher and the Slave," and "Bread and Roses" were among Wobbly tunes that included "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum."

Phillips, an avid trainhopper, released several albums of music related to railroads, especially during the steam locomotive period. Good Thought is an example, and it includes songs such as "Daddy, What's a Train?" on his 1973 album. "Queen of the Rails" and "Queen of the Rails" as well as "Moose Turd Pie," wherein he tells a tale of his career as a gandy dancer repairing track in the desert of Southwestern Washington, a gandy dancer.

I've Got To Know, a collection of song, poetry, and short stories based on his rage at the first Gulf War, was released in 1991 by Phillips. "Enola Gay," his first song written about the US' nuclear attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is included on the album.

Phillips served as a mentor to folk singer Kate Wolf. He was the first recipient of the Kate Wolf Memorial Award from the World Folk Music Association in 1998. On a CD called The Long Memory (1996), Rosalie Sorrels' work on a college project "Worker's Doxology" for 1992, Boise State University, he recorded songs and stories. Ani DiFranco, his admirer, has released two CDs: The Past Didn't Go Anywhere (1996) and Fellow Workers (1999), collaborating with him. For his contributions to DiFranco, he was nominated for a Grammy Award. Emmylou Harris' "Green Rolling Hills" was turned into a world hit by him, and "The Goodnight-Life Trail" became a hit as well, being filmed by Ian Tyson, Tom Waits, and others.

Phillips, who is best known for his work as a concert promoter and labor manager, also served as an archiver, dishwasher, and warehouseman.

Phillips was active in a variety of socio-political organizations and organizations throughout his life. He was a member of the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers (Mine Mill), and the Travelling Musician's Union AFM Local 1000, a key backer of labor struggles. He served as an honorary member of Dignity Village, a homeless charity, in solidarity with the homeless. He served as a member of Veterans for Peace and the Nevada County Peace Center.

Phillips had many hobbies and passions in his personal life. Egyptology; amateur chemistry; linguistics; past (Asian, African, Mormon, and the world) futhark; discussion; and poetry. He also enjoyed culinary hobbies, including pickling, baking, and gardening.

Joanna Robinson was married in Nevada City on July 31, 1989.

Phillips became a senior statesman for the folk music movement and a keeper of tales and songs that might otherwise have gone into obscurity. He was also a member of the Great Traveling Nation, the ethnic hobos and railroad bums that populates the Midwest United States along the rail lines, and he was a key keeper of their history and culture. He has also served as an honorary member of countless folk societies in the United States and Canada.

When Kate Wolf became sick and was forced to cancel shows, she begged Phillips to fill in. Phillips hesitated because of his weakening guitar skills, which makes it more difficult to play guitar. "No one ever came just to see you play," she said. Phillips told this tale as a way of revealing how his style evolved over the years into storytelling rather than just songs. He was a gifted storyteller and monologist, and his concerts featured a mix of spoken word and sung content. He attributed a large part of his fame to his personality. "It's better to be likeable than talented," he often said, auto-deprecatingly.

Phillips hosted his own weekly radio show, Loafer's Glory: The Hobo Jungle of the Mind, from 1997 to 2001, which was nationally syndicated. Due to a lack of funds, the show was cancelled after 100 episodes.

Phillips served in Nevada City, California, for 21 years, where he worked on the establishment of the Hospitality House, a homeless shelter, and the Peace and Justice Center. "It's my town." "Nevada City is the primary seed-bed for community association," says the author.

Phillips revealed in August 2007 that he would have catheter ablation to address his heart disease. Phillips revealed later this fall that he could no longer tour due to health difficulties. He had already decided against a heart transplant by January 2008.

Phillips died May 23, 2008, in Nevada City, California, eight days after his 73rd birthday, and is buried in Forest View Cemetery in Nevada City.

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Career

Phillips rode the rails and tramping around the west, and he returned to Salt Lake City, where he encountered Ammon Hennacy from the Catholic Worker Movement. Henny praised Hennacy for converting him from a life of drifting to one dedicated to activism and public service. Phillips assisted him in the establishment of a mission house of hospitality named after activist Joe Hill. Phillips served in the Senate for eight years before running for the United States Senate in 1968 as a candidate for Utah's Peace and Freedom Party. In an election won by Republican Wallace F. Bennett, he received 2,019 votes (0.5 percent). In 1976, he ran for president of the United States for the Do-Nothing Party, which was also unsuccessful.

In keeping with the hobo tradition of adopting a moniker that included an initial and the state of origin, as well as emulation of country vocalist T. Texas Tyler, he adopted the name Utah Phillips.

Phillips first met folk singer Rosalie Sorrels in the early 1950s and remained a close friend of hers. Sorrels began performing the songs that Phillips wrote, and her music began to tour the world. He went to Saratoga Springs, New York, where the folk at the Caffè Lena coffee house welcomed him. He was a staple performer on the stage for a decade and would return throughout his career.

Phillips was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies). His unions and politics were influenced by his parents, particularly his mother, who was a CIO labor organizer. Phillips, who was both a Christian anarchist and a pacifist, found that the new Wobblies to be the ideal match for him, an iconoclast and artist. Perhaps no one did more to promote the Wobbly gospel in recent years than Phillips, whose scores of concerts followed labor, unions, anarchism, pacifism, and the Wobblies. "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum," "The Preacher and the Slave," and "Bread and Roses" were among his classic Wobbly tunes.

Phillips, a devoted railroad enthusiast, has released several albums of music associated with railroads, especially the days of steam locomotives. Good Thought is an example, and it includes tracks such as "Daddy, What Is A Train?" and "What a Train?" on his 1973 album Good Thought. In addition to "Queen of the Rails" and "Queen of the Rails," as well as "Moose Turd Pie," wherein he tells a long tale of his stint as a gandy dancer repairing track in the desert of Southwestern United States.

In 1991, Phillips released I've Got To Know, an album of song, poetry, and short stories, inspired by his indignation of the first Gulf War. "Enola Gay," his first poem about the United States' nuclear attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is included on the album.

Phillips was a mentor to folk singer Kate Wolf. He was the first recipient of the Kate Wolf Memorial Award from the World Folk Music Association in 1998. On a CD titled "Worker's Doxology" by Rosalie Sorrels in 1992, he performed songs and stories with her. Ani DiFranco, his admirer, released two CDs, The Past Didn't Go Anywhere (1996) and Fellow Workers (1999), a compilation based on his poetry. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his role with DiFranco. Emmylou Harris' "Green Rolling Hills" was turned into a world of fame by Emmylou Harris, and "The Goodnight-Loving Trail" became a hit as well, being filmed by Ian Tyson, Tom Waits, and others.

Phillips also worked as an archive manager, dishwasher, and warehouse manager, although mainly known for his work as a concert performer and labour organizer.

Phillips was a member of several socio-political organizations and organizations throughout his life. He was a member of the International Workers of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers (Mine Mill), and the Travelling Musician's Union AFM Local 1000. He was a strong promoter of labour struggles. He served as an honorary member of Dignity Village, a homeless organisation, in solidarity with the poor. He was a member of Veterans for Peace and the Nevada County Peace Center.

Phillips had a number of hobbies and passions in his personal life. These included Egyptology; amateur chemistry; and history (Asian, African, Mormon, and the world); futhark; discussion; and poetry. He also enjoyed culinary hobbies, such as pickling, baking, and gardening.

He married Joanna Robinson in Nevada City on July 31, 1989.

Phillips became a elder statesman for the folk music movement and a repository of tales and songs that may otherwise have gone into obscurity. He was also a member of the renowned Traveling Nation, the group of hobos and railroad bums that populates the Midwest United States along the rail lines, and was also a key keeper of the region's history and culture. He has also served as an honorary member of several folk societies in the United States and Canada.

When Kate Wolf became sick and was forced to cancel performances, she begged Phillips to fill in. Phillips hesitated, citing his weakening guitar skills as the reason for his ailment that makes it more difficult to play guitar. "Nobody ever came just to see you play," she said. Phillips told this tale as a way of revealing how his style shifted away from singing to storytelling rather than simply songs. He was a gifted storyteller and monologist, and his concerts featured a good mix of spoken word and sung songs. He attributed a large part of his popularity to his personality. "It's better to be likeable than gifted," he often said, self-deprecatingly.

Phillips hosted his own weekly radio show, Loafer's Glory: The Hobo Jungle of the Mind, from 1997 to 2001, which was distributed on KVMR and nationally syndicated. Due to a lack of funding, the show was cancelled after 100 episodes.

Phillips served in Nevada City, California, for 21 years, where he worked on the establishment of the Hospitality House, a homeless shelter, and the Peace and Justice Center. "It's my town." Nevada City is a key seedbed for community activism."

Phillips said in August 2007 that he would undergo catheter ablation to address his heart disease. Phillips revealed later this fall that he could no longer tour due to health issues. He had decided against a heart transplant by January 2008.

Phillips died in Nevada City, California, eight days after his 73rd birthday, and is buried in Forest View Cemetery in Nevada City.

Source