Phillips was born in
Fort Worth, Texas, the son of
James Atlee Phillips, writer of
spy novels under the pseudonym of Philip Atlee, and nephew of
CIA officer
David Atlee Phillips. He grew up in various locations around the world, including
Tahiti, and learned to play guitar as a child. He returned to live in Texas in the late 1950s, and, after a time in the
U.S. Navy, moved to California. He played in
folk clubs in the early 1960s, alongside singer-songwriter
Tim Hardin, comedian
Lenny Bruce, and others, and when in
Saskatoon, Canada, met and taught guitar techniques to aspiring singer Joni Anderson (later
Mitchell). He recorded his first single, an adaptation of
Bob Gibson's version of "
Frankie and Johnnie" (credited as "The New Frankie & Johnnie Song"), in 1964. While traveling to India, he stopped in London and met record producer
Denis Preston, who signed him to
Columbia Records. Phillips released two albums on the label, ''I'm a Loner
(1965) and Shawn'' (1966), though neither was successful. During this period, Phillips also met
Donovan. The pair ultimately collaborated on several songs, including "
Season of the Witch", for which Phillips composed the melody. Donovan has since acknowledged that Phillips did indeed write the music of the song. In 1967, Phillips left England after his
work permit expired. After a period in Paris, he moved to
Positano in Italy, while continuing to tour. Phillips returned to England to write and perform with The Djinn, the music for the controversial
Jane Arden play
Vagina Rex and the Gas Oven at the Arts Laboratory on
Drury Lane in London in February 1969. Sponsored by
Dick James, he also recorded material with
Steve Winwood,
Jim Capaldi and
Chris Wood of
Traffic. In addition, the singles "Lost Horizon" (No. 63) and "We" (No. 92) appeared on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1973. According to Bruce Eder at
Allmusic, his 1970s recordings "established his reputation for boundless, nearly peerless creativity and virtuosity... [as a] 12-string guitarist combined with his four-octave vocal range.....Writers lavished praise on Phillips for his unusual lyrics, haunting melodies, daunting musicianship, and the ambition of his records. He was a complete enigma, American-born but raised internationally, with a foreigner's keen appreciation for all the music of his homeland and a seasoned traveler's love of world music, with none of the usual limits on his thinking about music." Eder continued: "Phillips never achieved major stardom, despite his critical accolades. He never courted an obvious commercial sound, preferring to write songs that, as he put it, 'make you feel different from the way you felt before you started listening,' primarily love songs and sonic landscapes." He now divides his time between writing, recording, touring, and his EMT work. Of his EMT work, he says: “One of my EMT calls was an 89-year-old woman named Clara, who had fractured her pelvis from stepping out of bed too hard. I took a great deal of care to keep her from suffering before we transferred to Austin EMS. I said to her, ‘We’re gonna give you over to these guys, but you’re in very good hands.’ She was very frightened. As I left, she grabbed me by the arm, looked me in the eyes, and said, ‘Thank you so much for taking care of me.’ And the music business just disappeared into the distance. I got a double standing ovation in front of 657,000 people at the Isle of Wight in the 1970s. You can imagine the rush. But that moment with Clara was much more powerful, because that work is immediate. It’s as real as you can get.” In an interview with Chicago music critic Scott Itter, Phillips was reminded that he had once been described as "the best kept secret in the music business" by the late rock impresario
Bill Graham. Asked why he was still "a secret" to many people, Phillips replied: A documentary series about Phillips' life and works has been in production since 2015, from filmmakers Alex Wroten and Lindsey Wolfe-Wroten of Well Dang! Productions. The six-part docuseries features interviews with Phillips, Donovan, Paul Buckmaster, J. Peter Robinson, Poli Palmer, Jim Cregan, Jonathan Weston, Leland Sklar, Arlo Hennings (Phillips' manager for 18 years); it is expected to premiere sometime soon. == Spirituality ==