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Utah Phillips
The legacy of Utah Phillips lives on: A tribute album dedicated to the late folk music legend who spent the last 21 years of his life in Nevada City has been nominated for a Grammy.
The album, “Singing Through the Hard Times: A Tribute to Utah Phillips,” features artists including folk icon Pete Seeger, Emmylou Harris, and Phillip's son, Brendan Phillips, with his band, Fast Rattler.
The nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album from the Recording Academy in Santa Monica drew warm responses for the musician and social activist who died in May 2008 of heart failure.
“It moves me on his behalf,” said his wife, Joanna Robinson, from the home they shared in Nevada City. “He wrote so many fabulous songs, and it's great people are still listening to them.
“I assume people will keep listening to his music,” Robinson said. “It's politically relevant, beautifully and skillfully constructed. It's lasting music.”
Friend and KVMR Program Director Steve Baker was thrilled when he heard of the Grammy nomination.
“This is important for his music to live on, and it appreciates what Utah meant to the world,” Baker said.
Another tribute album to Phillips by Rosalie Sorrels was nominated for a Grammy last year but did not win, Baker said. An album Phillips did with Ani DiFranco in 1999 was also nominated for a Grammy, and also was overlooked.
While Phillips was best known nationally for his music and story telling, he also was known for his Nevada County activism. He helped start the Peace and Justice Center in Nevada City and Hospitality House in Grass Valley, the area's traveling homeless shelter.
Phillips said his stint in the U.S. Army in the late 1950s made him a pacifist. When he got out, he rode the rails and ended up a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City, according to the obituary his family provided to The Union.
While there, he met Catholic Worker movement activists who shaped his political views and his career singing about the plight of common workers.
The Grammies show will air the evening of Jan. 31, 2010, on CBS, according to the Recording Academy.
To get a copy of the two-disc recording, visit RighteousBabe.com/artists/utahphillips/tribute.
All proceeds from the tribute album go to the Phillips family, according to the Righteous Babe Records Web site.
Other recordings competing against the Phillips tribute are:
• “Cutting Loose,” by David Holt and Josh Goforth.
• “Naked with Friends,” by Maura O'Connell.
• “Polka Cola: Music that Refreshes,” by Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.
• “High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project,” by Loudon Wainwright III.
To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4237.
The album, “Singing Through the Hard Times: A Tribute to Utah Phillips,” features artists including folk icon Pete Seeger, Emmylou Harris, and Phillip's son, Brendan Phillips, with his band, Fast Rattler.
The nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album from the Recording Academy in Santa Monica drew warm responses for the musician and social activist who died in May 2008 of heart failure.
“It moves me on his behalf,” said his wife, Joanna Robinson, from the home they shared in Nevada City. “He wrote so many fabulous songs, and it's great people are still listening to them.
“I assume people will keep listening to his music,” Robinson said. “It's politically relevant, beautifully and skillfully constructed. It's lasting music.”
Friend and KVMR Program Director Steve Baker was thrilled when he heard of the Grammy nomination.
“This is important for his music to live on, and it appreciates what Utah meant to the world,” Baker said.
Another tribute album to Phillips by Rosalie Sorrels was nominated for a Grammy last year but did not win, Baker said. An album Phillips did with Ani DiFranco in 1999 was also nominated for a Grammy, and also was overlooked.
While Phillips was best known nationally for his music and story telling, he also was known for his Nevada County activism. He helped start the Peace and Justice Center in Nevada City and Hospitality House in Grass Valley, the area's traveling homeless shelter.
Phillips said his stint in the U.S. Army in the late 1950s made him a pacifist. When he got out, he rode the rails and ended up a homeless shelter in Salt Lake City, according to the obituary his family provided to The Union.
While there, he met Catholic Worker movement activists who shaped his political views and his career singing about the plight of common workers.
The Grammies show will air the evening of Jan. 31, 2010, on CBS, according to the Recording Academy.
To get a copy of the two-disc recording, visit RighteousBabe.com/artists/utahphillips/tribute.
All proceeds from the tribute album go to the Phillips family, according to the Righteous Babe Records Web site.
Other recordings competing against the Phillips tribute are:
• “Cutting Loose,” by David Holt and Josh Goforth.
• “Naked with Friends,” by Maura O'Connell.
• “Polka Cola: Music that Refreshes,” by Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.
• “High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project,” by Loudon Wainwright III.
To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail dmoller@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4237.
