Phil Upchurch

Phil Upchurch
Upchurch in 2012
Upchurch in 2012
Background information
Born(1941-07-19)July 19, 1941
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 23, 2025(2025-11-23) (aged 84)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • bass
Years active1950s–present
Labels
Formerly of
WebsiteOfficial website

Philip Rodney Upchurch (July 19, 1941 – November 23, 2025) was an American guitarist and bass guitarist who has performed and recorded in musical styles including soul music, R&B, jazz and blues.

Life and career

Upchurch was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 19, 1941.[1][2] He started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, and Jimmy Reed.[3] (His association with Kool Gents member Dee Clark would continue, including playing guitar on Clark's 1961 solo hit "Raindrops".) He then returned to Chicago to play and record with Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Groove Holmes, B.B. King, and Dizzy Gillespie.

In 1961, his record "You Can't Sit Down" by the Philip Upchurch Combo,[3] sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[4] "You Can't Sit Down, Part 2" peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard charts in the US.[5] In the 1960s, he toured with Oscar Brown, appearing on the 1965 live album, Mr. Oscar Brown, Jr. Goes to Washington. He played bass on The Staple Singers 1965 album Freedom Highway.[6] In the mid-1960s, he was house guitarist of Chess Records and he played with The Dells, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and Gene Chandler.[3] He also played with John Lee Hooker, Grover Washington, Jr.[7] and Cannonball Adderley. Upchurch was part of a group called The Soulful Strings during the 1960s, prior to working with the Rotary Connection on Chess's Cadet label.

In the 1970s, he worked with Donny Hathaway, Harvey Mason, Ramsey Lewis, Quincy Jones and led his own quartet with Tennyson Stephens.[7][3] He met Bob Krasnow and Tommy LiPuma, the founders of Blue Thumb Records, and he released Darkness Darkness. Upchurch played on Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" and "The Ghetto". He also played guitar on Hathaway's Live album (1972).[8] In the mid-1970s and 1980s, he performed with George Benson,[7] Mose Allison, Gary Burton, Lenny Breau,[9] Joe Williams, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Carmen McRae, Cat Stevens, David Sanborn, and Michael Jackson. In the 1990s, he worked with Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff.

Upchurch died in Los Angeles, California, on November 23, 2025, at the age of 84.[10]

Discography

As leader

  • You Can't Sit Down, Part Two (Boyd/United Artists UAL-3162 mono and UAS-6162 stereo, 1961)
  • The Big Hit Dances: The Twist... (United Artists UAL-3175 mono and UAS-6175 stereo, 1962)
  • Feeling Blue: The Phil Upchurch Guitar Sound (Milestone 9010; OJC 1100, 1967)
  • Upchurch (Cadet/Chess LPS-826, 1969) with Donny Hathaway on piano.
  • The Way I Feel (Cadet/Chess/GRT LPS-840, 1970) with Donny Hathaway on piano.
  • Darkness Darkness (Blue Thumb BTS-6005, 1972)
  • Lovin' Feeling (Blue Thumb BTS-59, 1973)
  • Upchurch/Tennyson with Tennyson Stephens (Kudu/CTI KU-22, 1975)
  • Phil Upchurch (Marlin/TK Records MAR-2209, 1978) produced by John Tropea and George Benson.
  • Free & Easy (JAM [Jazz America Marketing] 007, 1981)
  • Revelation (JAM 011, 1982)
  • Name of the Game (JAM 018, 1983)
  • Companions (JAM 021, 1984) issued as Paladin/Virgin PAL-4 for UK market.[3]
  • Phil Upchurch Presents L.A. Jazz Quintet (Pro Arte/Intersound 631, 1986) with Brandon Fields, Bobby Lyle, Brian Bromberg, Harvey Mason.
  • Dolphin Dance (Sound Service 6177, 1987)
  • Midnite Blue (Electric Bird/King [Japan] KICJ-53, 1991) compilation of JAM material.
  • All I Want (Ichiban ICH-1127, 1991)
  • Whatever Happened To The Blues (Ridgetop/Bean Bag/Go Jazz 55566; Go Jazz 6006, 1991) issued as Go Jazz VBR-2066 for Germany market.
  • Love Is Strange (Ridgetop/Bean Bag/Go Jazz 55552; Go Jazz 6014, 1995)
  • Rhapsody & Blues (Go Jazz 6035, 1999)
  • Tell the Truth! (Evidence 22222, 2001) produced by Carla Olson.
  • Impressions Of Curtis Mayfield by Jazz Soul Seven (BFM Jazz/Varese Sarabande 62413, 2012) produced by Brian Brinkerhoff; co-produced and arranged by Phil Upchurch; featuring Terri Lyne Carrington, Russ Ferrante, Master Henry Gibson, Bob Hurst, Wallace Roney, Phil Upchurch, Ernie Watts. ["The album I'm most proud of", Phil Upchurch 2012].

With the Soulful Strings

  • Paint It Black (Cadet/Chess LPS-776, 1966)
  • Groovin' with the Soulful Strings (Cadet/Chess LPS-796, 1967)
  • Another Exposure (Cadet/Chess LPS-805, 1968)
  • The Magic of Christmas (Cadet/Chess LPS-814, 1968)
  • Back by Demand: The Soulful Strings in Concert (Cadet/Chess LPS-820, 1969)
  • String Fever (Cadet/Chess LPS-834, 1969)
  • Play Gamble-Huff (Cadet/Chess/GRT LPS-846, 1971)
  • The Best of the Soulful Strings (Cadet/Chess/GRT 2CA-50022, 1972) compilation/2-LP set

As sideman

With Anita Baker

With George Benson

With Oscar Brown Jr.

With Peabo Bryson and Natalie Cole

With Dee Clark

With Natalie Cole

With Bob Dylan

With Sheena Easton

With Stan Getz

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Donny Hathaway

With Howlin' Wolf

With Michael Jackson

With Dr. John

With Chaka Khan

With Hubert Laws

With Ramsey Lewis

With Jack McDuff

With Carmen McRae

With Jimmy Reed

With Minnie Riperton

With Rotary Connection

With Ben Sidran

With Jimmy Smith

  • Stay Loose (Verve, 1968)
  • Prime Time (Milestone, 1989)
  • Sum Serious Blues (Milestone, 1993)
  • Dot Com Blues (Blue Thumb, 2000)
  • Black Cat (Castle Pie, 2001)

With Muddy Waters

References

  1. ^ Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (November 18, 1999). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-19-507418-5 – via Internet Archive. Phil Upchurch.
  2. ^ Williams, Alex (December 12, 2025). "Phil Upchurch, Jazz Guitarist and Sideman to Stars, Dies at 84". The New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 1204/5. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  4. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 140. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  5. ^ Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles. 12th edition, 2009, p. 1013.
  6. ^ Freedom Highway pitchfork.com Retrieved 21 April 2025
  7. ^ a b c "Phil Upchurch Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  8. ^ "Donny Hathaway: Live: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  9. ^ Phil Upchurch, "Companions" – Jam Records, 1984
  10. ^ Levy, Giana (December 3, 2025). "Phil Upchurch, Guitarist and Composer for Michael Jackson and Curtis Mayfield, Dies at 84". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
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