A singer/songwriter/activist, Utah Phillips walked the walk of the working man. A teenage runaway, Phillips lived as a railroad hobo first gaining musical attention for songs he wrote that were recorded by Rosalie Sorrels and then his 1973 hit "Moose Turd Pie," a story of life as a railroad laborer. An Army veteran who sang for peace, he took all of his vast life experience and put it into his music. He spent the past 21 years living with his family in Nevada City, California, where he was known as a community activist. His humor, sincerity and honesty kept Phillips connected with younger generations of folk artists, including the late Kate Wolf and Ani DiFranco, a collaboration that earned the pair a Grammy nomination.
Phillips died Friday (5/23) at 73 of complications from the chronic heart disease that he has suffered with since 2004. His ongoing health problems caused him to give up touring in 2007.
From the 2007 Strawberry Festival:
Posted by Ann VerWiebe at May 27, 2008 12:00 PM
Comments
Another icon of folk passes...
I know Kate was waiting with her guitar to meet him up yonder.......another great heaven jam session going on!
Posted by: Karen O'Briant at May 29, 2008 2:28 PM
I only saw Utah Phillips in concert a couple of times over the years, and was amazed by his humor and good will, and by the songs he wrote. His sense of history, the real story with regard to workers' struggles and our humanity, always hit home. I heard him say that he had to leave Spokane because the Unitarians burned a question mark in his lawn. Now that I've lived in Spokane for a while it's even funnier than it was then. He will be missed
Posted by: Laddie Melvin at June 3, 2008 2:14 PM
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Folk Icon Utah Phillips Passes
