Utah Phillips died last night.

[Kali]

Another American original gone.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. And for those who don't know who Utah Phillips was

Utah Phillips

[nashville_brook]

12. delete

[annabanana]

19. Thanks for the link...I hope he has been "captured" for future

generations...

[lildreamer316]

31. Thank you for the information.

So much I don't know, having parents of the 'forgotten' genereation (twixt the "greatest" and the boomers).

[cliffordu]

35. Aw, shit. I met him and Rosalie Sorrels playing in a bar in Eureka Ca.

one night in about 1974. We had a great time. Rosalie carved her name into my guitar. She played "6 bladed perl handled abalone inlaid boy scout knife" and brought down the house.

I saw Larry John Wilson in the same place....for those of you with REALLY weird musical tastes....

[EFerrari]

43. Amy's reairing a long interview him today. (Tuesday). Link:

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/27/utah_phillips_1935_2008_legendary_folk

[gateley]

2. I'm sorry - I don't know who that is.

But saddened at his/her passing nonetheless. Our American originals are becoming fewer and fewer.

[bean fidhleir]

32. A Wobbly, folksinger, and activist for highly-progressive causes.

He was never all that successful as a folksinger, probably because he used to give his time away. He was often on the bum, travelling around. A good man, by all accounts.

[deutsey]

39. Phillips' interview

http://www.progressive.org/mag/interview/utahphillips

Also, buy the CDs he did with Ani DiFranco: "The Past Didn't Go Anywhere," and "Fellow Workers"

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Ah, shit.

"The Golden Voice of The Great Southwest", as they called him at Gerde's. Ah shit.

[flashl]

4. RIP Utah.

[bobbolink]

5. .

:cry:

Thank you for posting this.

From Wikipedia:

Bruce "Utah" Phillips (born May 15, 1935 in Cleveland, Ohio, died May 23, 2008) was a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and self-described "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest". He describes the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action. He often promotes the Industrial Workers of the World in his music, actions, and words.

A fan of T. Texas Tyler, Phillips adopted the stage name U. Utah Phillips.


Life and work
Bruce "Utah" Phillips served in the United States Army for three years beginning in 1956. Witnessing the devastation of post-war Korea greatly influenced his social and political thinking. Following service, he returned to Salt Lake City, Utah and joined Ammon Hennacy from the Catholic Worker Movement in establishing a mission house of hospitality named after the activist Joe Hill.<1> <2>Phillips worked at the Joe Hill House for the next eight years, then ran for the U.S. Senate as a candidate of Utah's Peace and Freedom Party in 1968. He received 2,019 votes (0.5%) in an election won by Republican Wallace F. Bennett.

Phillips met folk singer Rosalie Sorrels in the early 1950s, and has remained a close friend of hers ever since. It was Sorrels who started playing the songs that Phillips wrote, and through her his music began to spread. After leaving Utah in the late '60s, he went to Saratoga Springs, New York, where he was befriended by the folk community at the Caffé Lena coffee house, where he became a staple performer throughout that decade.

An avid railfan, Phillips has recorded several albums of music related to the railroads, especially the era of steam locomotives. His first recorded album, Good Though!, is an example, and contains such songs as "Daddy, What's a Train?" and "Queen of the Rails" as well as what may be his most famous composition, "Moose Turd Pie" <3>wherein he tells a tall tale of his work as a gandy dancer repairing track in the Southwestern United States desert.

[Warpy]

6. Oh, crap.

The world is a far poorer place without him.

I hope his passing was a peaceful one.

[roguevalley]

36. God, the world cannot afford to lose brave good people. RIP, friend.

One union person to another.

[bperci108]

7. Rest in peace, Fellow Worker.

And say hello to Mother Jones, Joe Hill and Woody for us.


:cry:

[madokie]

8. Daddy what's a train

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5YoLjYD8QE&feature=related

[cynthia]

21. thanks for that song

[John Q. Citizen]

9. Another one of the good guys passes over. It's funny, just a week ago I was

telling my 12 year old daughter about his story "Moose Turd Pie," about working in a logging camp and no one wanting the job of camp cook.

In recent years he toured with Ani Difranco (or visa versa) and they did some great music together.

He was a folk singer's folk singer.

[Buck Laser]

17. I love that story! I've told it to some of my grandkids,

and I never miss a chance to tell it when stories are floating around. "Good, Though!" was the title of one of his albums.

[eridani]

37. Why, that's moose turd pie! Good, though.

Getting his shit together.

[KharmaTrain]

10. Cheers To A True Free Spirit

I first heard Cannonball Blues in the early 70's...then had the chance to see him perform later in the decade. Cheers to a great dobro player, wit and man of his and many times.

Cheers, U. Utah Phillips...

[GregD]

11. I'll be listening to KPFA tomorrow morning

He and Robbie were good friends. I'm sure Robbie will play his stuff from 11-1 Sunday AM.

[nashville_brook]

13. thank you for posting this.

another hero gone.

[pnorman]

14. "Solidarity Forever" by Fellow Worker Utah Phillips:

http://www.u-f-a.org.ru/mus/solidarity_forever.mp3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Phillips

pnorman

[pnorman]

22. A selection of Utah Phillips MP3 albums availble at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_f3_all?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=utah%20phillips&rh=i%3Adigital-music%2Ck%3Autah%20phillips%2Ci%3Adigital-music-album

My pocket media player holds 16GB, so I'm sure I can find room there for a few of those albums.

pnorman

[pnorman]

42. Utah Phillips onDemocracy Now (January 2004):

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/27/utah_phillips_1935_2008_legendary_folk

pnorman

[Jack Rabbit]

15. ( )

Media Tinker

[Festivito]

16. Any link? See also wiki.Answers.com answer saying, no he's not.

Q: Is Utah Phillips dead?
In: Bands and Artists

No.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_Utah_Phillips_dead

Google only has DU as a source for his having died.

ON EDIT: Not that I'd know or not.

[Kali]

18. ...

I'm looking for more info - I got the word on a Grassroots Radio list. I will post what I find when the author replies.

[Festivito]

23. His website now confirms it. My thoughts are with his wife.

The rest of us can wait, while Utah rides that last westbounder.

Love and solidarity back at ya Utah!

[klook]

20. Obit on KVMR radio website

http://www.kvmr.org/utah_letter.html

And a letter from Utah himself on May 14, including info about the medical condition that did him in.

[Bennyboy]

24. Oh no......

I have spent the last few memorial days with him in Grass Valley CA. I was looking forward to (hopefully) seeing him this year too. Such a good man.
A Life Well lived....

[ljm2002]

25. Bummer...

...I loved listening to him Sundays on KPFA. Damn, he had some great stories to tell!

[peacefreak]

26. My God, that's moose turd pie!"

"it's good, though". Sing a chorus with the angels, Utah. Too bad he's gone.:cry:

[RadiationTherapy]

27. See ya, Utah. Thanks. nt.

[BlooInBloo]

28. Somehow he reminds me of Baby Gramps - lol. RIP.

[Unvanguard]

29. May he rest in peace.

:(

[merkins]

30. Goodbye Utah, thanks for all the stories & song ...

[bluesmail]

33. Thank you, and Crap

[Hekate]

34. Ohhhhhh. I have some of his CD's. I'm so sorry.... nt

[deutsey]

38. RIP, Utah. n/t

[GregD]

40. www.kpfa.org

Robbie, Wavy Gravy and other friends of Utah are talking and playing his music.

[Tom Rinaldo]

41. K&R for Utah...

I am sorry that I did not notice this thread when I started another one on this forum about this news and what Utah meant and still means to us. But let me help this one now rise to the top of the page. Thank you for starting it.

[treblemaker]

44. I just found out about his death

I cried.
I remember seeing him years ago at Caffe Lena in Saratoga, same place I saw Rosalie Sorrels and who knows how many other folk luminaries. I remember taping all the LPs the Schenectady Public Library had of his when I lived there.
R.I.P.