Brewer Phillips

Brewer Phillips stood out among Chicago blues sidemen for the singular character of his guitar work. He fused the rhythmic approach of Eddie Taylor, an acquaintance from early childhood who also shared fishing outings, with the sharp, incisive lead style associated with Pat Hare. Born on a plantation in Coila, Mississippi, Phillips received initial guidance from Memphis Minnie and encountered many blues legends in person while they performed nearby. After departing Mississippi he settled in Memphis, where he turned professional and cut his first sides as a member of Bill Harvey’s band, in addition to an unreleased session supporting pianist Roosevelt Sykes.

His most prominent association came as guitarist in Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers. In that bass-less trio Phillips alternated between the piercing, metallic lead tones produced by his well-worn Telecaster and the simultaneous execution of basslines and chordal comping, all performed with a thumb pick and bare fingers. The resulting texture drew directly from the juke-joint music of his Mississippi youth and remained unmatched on the contemporary blues circuit. After Taylor’s death in 1976, Phillips issued recordings under his own name and made occasional appearances alongside J.B. Hutto, Lil Ed, Cub Koda, and other artists, though he continued to occupy a relatively obscure position within Chicago blues circles. He died in Chicago on August 30, 1999, at the age of 74.