Phil Upchurch

Since the mid-1950s Phil Upchurch has remained a central presence on the Chicago music scene, a guitarist whose command of blues, soul, R&B, and jazz has never been in doubt. Early freelance dates with vocalists such as Jerry Butler gave way to a steady role as house guitarist at Chess, where his nuanced and frequently groovy chordal work, riffs, and single-line phrases appeared on countless sides by the Dells, Howlin' Wolf, Gene Chandler, and Muddy Waters. Regular partnerships with drummer Maurice White—who would later lead Earth, Wind & Fire—marked many of those sessions. In the early 1960s Upchurch assembled the Phil Upchurch Combo, scoring an instrumental hit in 1961 with “You Can't Sit Down”; later singles from the group never recaptured that level of success. Mid- and late-1960s soul-jazz and funk dates followed for Sue and Cadet. The 1970s found him on Blue Thumb, balancing outside sessions with the Crusaders and Ben Sidran against his own projects, two of which—Darkness, Darkness (1972) and Lovin' Feelin (1973)—were produced by Tommy LiPuma. A lone 1975 album for Creed Taylor's Kudu label, Upchurch Tennyson, paired him with pianist and vocalist Tennyson Stephens. Subsequent years were devoted largely to session work, yet he still issued leader dates on Palladin in 1985, Ichiban in 1991, and Ridgetop in 1995 and 1997. Continuing activity as both sideman and bandleader brought the 1999 release Rhapsody & Blues, followed in spring 2001 by Tell the Truth.