Utah Phillips - Singer, Songwriter, Activist, Raconteur and Unionist
Bruce “U. Utah" Phillips, the Grammy-nominated folk singer known for his bushy white beard, tireless tour schedule and equally tireless work for social justice, died of congestive heart failure Friday at his home in Nevada City.
He was 73 and had been having health problems in recent years. Mr. Phillips rose to prominence on the folk scene with the single “Moose Turd Pie," a song from his 1973 debut album “Good Though!" That song was about serving moose feces to fellow laborers during the time Mr. Phillips worked as a cook in a railroad gang. With a career that lasted four decades, the songwriter most recently collaborated with Ani DiFranco on the 1999 album “Fellow Workers." The two were nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for best contemporary folk album.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 15, 1935, Mr. Phillips ran away from home as a teenager. He took the name U. Utah Phillips in tribute to musician T. Texas Tyler, and spent several years living as a stowaway on trains, an experience he documented in many of his songs. He settled in Nevada City 21 years ago.
Bruce “U. Utah" Phillips, the Grammy-nominated folk singer known for his bushy white beard, tireless tour schedule and equally tireless work for social justice, died of congestive heart failure Friday at his home in Nevada City.
He was 73 and had been having health problems in recent years. Mr. Phillips rose to prominence on the folk scene with the single “Moose Turd Pie," a song from his 1973 debut album “Good Though!" That song was about serving moose feces to fellow laborers during the time Mr. Phillips worked as a cook in a railroad gang. With a career that lasted four decades, the songwriter most recently collaborated with Ani DiFranco on the 1999 album “Fellow Workers." The two were nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for best contemporary folk album.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 15, 1935, Mr. Phillips ran away from home as a teenager. He took the name U. Utah Phillips in tribute to musician T. Texas Tyler, and spent several years living as a stowaway on trains, an experience he documented in many of his songs. He settled in Nevada City 21 years ago.
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