Phil Upchurch, a legendary guitarist and composer who performed for Quincy Jones, Donny Hathaway and Michael Jackson, handed away on November 23 in Los Angeles at age 84. No reason behind loss of life has been introduced as of press time.
Upchurch had a prolonged profession, recording almost 30 albums and showing on greater than 1,000 recordings with high-profile music artists. A few of his most acknowledged work contains Chaka Khan’s 1978 “I’m Every Woman” anthem, which charted Billboard’s R&B charts for 3 weeks. He additionally helped to craft Jackson’s “Workin’ Day and Night,” from his 1979 solo album Off the Wall.
The guitarist continuously labored with Donny Hathaway, that includes on all of his solo studio and dwell albums. He composed jazz guitarist George Benson’s “Six to Four” 1976 single, in addition to showing on Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly, Claudine, Let’s Do It Once more, and Sparkle albums. Different notable artists Upchurch carried out or recorded with had been the Staple Singers, Natalie Cole, Minnie Riperton, Bob Dylan, and Anita Baker.
“We lost a dear Broadway Tours family member. The great Phil Upchurch,” Benson shared in his tribute on Instagram. “Phil was an integral part of the Breezin‘ record having wrote the great song ‘Six to Four’ as well as a key musician on the record Weekend In LA.”
Born in Chicago in 1941, Upchurch grew up together with his father, who was a jazz pianist. His ardour for music sparked at age 13, when his father gave him a ukulele. Impressed by jazz musicians Oscar Peterson and Jimmy Smith, Upchurch formed his soul music legacy early on, working with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, and Jimmy Reed. Within the mid-Nineteen Sixties, he was home guitarist of Chess Information, taking part in with The Dells, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Etta James and Gene Chandler. In 1961, he launched his first single, “You Can’t Sit Down (Parts 1 & 2)” that peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard pop chart.
Alongside together with his work as a musician, Upchurch printed two books and was writing an autobiography on the time of his loss of life. He’s survived by his spouse, Sonya.
