Bill Phillips, a dear friend of all in our music industry and a great artist passed away yesterday at the age of 74.
Bill Phillips was born in Canton, North Carolina on Jan 28, 1936. His professional music career started with the Old Southern Jamboree on WMIL in Miami in 1955. He moved to Nashville in 1957 and worked with Johnny Wright and Kitty Wells until the late 1970s. His biggest recording was entitled "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" which peaked on the country charts at #6 on April 2, 1966. The Decca recording featured uncredited harmony vocals by the song's composer, a very young and then little known Dolly Parton. This was the first recording that Dolly ever made.
At this time, I do not have cause of death or funeral arrangements.
Singer Bill Phillips died Monday (Aug. 23) at his home in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., following a lengthy battle with diabetes. He was 74. Although he charted records from 1959 to 1979, Phillips is best known for showcasing the songwriting talent of young Dolly Parton via his 1966 recording of "Put It Off Until Tomorrow," a tune Parton co-wrote with her uncle, Bill Owens. Parton, then 20 years old and still unsigned to her first label, also sang harmony on the record. It was Phillips' highest-ranking single, peaking at No. 6 in Billboard. Born William Clarence Phillips on Jan. 28, 1936, in Canton, N.C., the singer first achieved national prominence in 1959-60 through two singles he recorded on Columbia Records with Mel Tillis -- "Sawmill" and "Georgia Town Blues." His primary label home, however, was Decca Records, where he labored from the mid-'60s until the early '70s, scoring such hits as "The Company You Keep" and "The Words I'm Gonna Have to Eat." He later recorded for United Artists and Soundwaves. From 1969 to 1984, Phillips toured with the Kitty Wells-Johnny Wright Show. He appeared as a guest artist on Wells and Wright's final performance in Nashville on Jan. 31, 2000. Funeral services will be held Friday (Aug. 27) at Hermitage Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens in Old Hickory, Tenn.
For years I had his old Gibson Guitar Case with his name embossed in gold lettering on the case.
In 1971, when I worked for Little Roy Wiggins "Music City" music store on lower broadway, Roy gave me a factory refurbished Grammer Guitar and a case. The guitar was the one I always used on shows and jams at the store. We had a used Gibson case, that needed repair (handle missing) and I took that case for the Grammer and put a new handle on it. As it turned out it was Bill Phillips' old Gibson case.
I got a new case for the Grammer last year and gave the old case away.
We had lunch with Jimmy Peppers and his girlfriend today and Jimmy was talking about first meeting Bill when Jimmy was picking drums for Ferlin Husky and how well Bill fit in with Johnny Wright doing the Jack Anglin parts.
Wow, I sure hate to hear this. I was very young, but I remember Bill, or "Tater", as we knew him, from his Miami days. My Dad was part of that show and he and Bill worked quite a bit together. In fact, Bill also worked some in Dad's upholstery shop for a while.
I called my mother today to tell her about this, and she reminded me of what Dad use to say about Bill's skill as an upholsterer. "Sure is a good thing that boy can sing".
I have some old pictures around somewhere of that show in Miami with Dad and Bill. I'll try to locate and post one or two.
Jim
Bill had to sing to get out of Canton N.C. its the most stinking town in all of North Carolina. They had a Paper Mill or two and a Fertilizer plant back in the 50's. I can't imagine anybody wanting to live there. You could smell Canton 30 miles before and after. But he could sing and was one of the most recognizable voices in country music. I don't think he ever got what was due him in Awards and recognition.
Sorry to hear this,I often wondered how Bill was doing thru the years..I had the pleasure of working some shows with Webb Pierce and he brought Bill along with him..We spent a year one night after a show at a local night spot..Fun Night..Bill had this song he couldn't wait to get back and record called "I've loved you all over the world"..I don't know if he ever did ...Great voice..
I REMEMBER BILL, WE OPENED A SHOW FOR BILL ANDERSON.BILL PHILLIPS,AND JIM ED BROWN IN TOLEDO OH. IN THE LATE 60'S. IT HAD COME A TERRIBLE SNOW STORM
THAT DAY, AND THERE WAS ONLY APPROX. 40-50 PEOPLE SHOWED UP, AND THEY WERE THE ONE'S WHO HAS BOUGHT RESERVE TICKETS, AND ON TOP OF THAT THE PROMOTER SKIPPED TOWN WITH THE RESERVED TICKET MONEY
BUT, THE 3 PERFORMER WENT AHEAD AND DID THERE FULL SHOW, WHICH I THOUGHT VERY NICE OF THEM.
Here is an exerpt from my bio on the Panhandle Opry website.
"Ron plays pedal steel at the Panhandle Opry, an instrument that has displaced most of his hobbies. He was first inspired by watching the steel player for Bill Phillips, a country music performer from Canton, North Carolina."
Bill lived "up the river" from Canton, and with that he usually escaped the smell from the Champion paper mill. One of the first recollections of seeing pedal steel played live was at the Canton Armory, where Bill was performing. I grew up at Balsam, N.C. and we were especially proud of him..
Ron
I just now read about Bills passing .I went to school with Bill at Bethel N.C. he carried his guitar to class and he would play and sing every chance he got. I moved to the west coast but he and kitty wells would stop by my cousins apple orchard near waynesville N.C. to get apples so i knew what he was doing He was making $75.000 a yr. picking and singing while i was making half that as a pipefitter. Loretta Lynn tried to get me to come to nashville in 1964 I played fiddle with her here on the west coast. but i had family to support and let it pass Bill Phillups you will be missed. My cousin had passed on so my contact was lost
