Jeffrey Travis Andrew Phillips (born November 1948) is an Australian TV show host, personality, musical theatre actor and pop singer active from 1966 to the early 1990s. As a pop singer, he had a Top 40 hit on the ''
Go-Set
''Go-Set'' was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble. NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. Widely described as ...
'' singles chart with a cover version of
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFadd ...
' 1961 hit, "
Baby It's You
"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams), and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles, and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby I ...
". At the
Logie Awards of 1970
The 12th Annual ''TV Week'' Logie Awards were presented on Friday 20 March 1970 at Southern Cross Hotel in Melbourne and broadcast on the Nine Network. Bert Newton from the Nine Network was the Master of Ceremonies. Miss World 1968 winner Penelo ...
, he won the Best New Talent category for hosting his own
ABC TV pop show, ''
Sounds Like Us''. In the early 1970s he hosted a series of teen pop music shows, ''Happening '71'' and ''Happening '72''. In July 1972 Phillips won a song prize at the Fifth Olympiad of Song, held in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, performing his self-written work, "Gloria"; the prize money was 100,000
drachmae
The drachma ( el, δραχμή , ; pl. ''drachmae'' or ''drachmas'') was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history:
# An ancient Greek currency unit issued by many Greek city states during a period of ten centuries, fro ...
(
AUD
The Australian dollar (sign: $; code: AUD) is the currency of Australia, including its external territories: Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island. It is officially used as currency by three independent Pacific Island s ...
$2,797). Although he issued further singles, until the early 1980s, he had no other national Top 40 chart success. From July 1985 to October 1987 he appeared in the Australian stage production of ''
Cats
The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...
'' in the role of
Rum Tum Tugger
Rum Tum Tugger is one of the many feline characters in the 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' by T. S. Eliot, and in the 1981 musical '' Cats'' which is based on Eliot's book. Rum Tum Tugger is a rebellious Jellicle cat wh ...
in both the Sydney run and the Melbourne season; he also performed on the original Australian cast album.
Biography
Jeffrey Travis Andrew Phillips was born in November 1948 and grew up on the
Canning River
The Canning River (Djarlgarra in Nyungar) is a major tributary of the Swan River in the South West Land Division of Western Australia. It is home to much wildlife including dolphins, pelicans, swans and many other bird species.
Source a ...
, Western Australia.
His father was a hairdresser.
From the age of ten he learned the guitar.
For secondary education he started at St. Francis Xavier High School with his final two years at
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to:
Australia
* Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales
* Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
, where he played
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and also performed at annual concerts.
At the age of 12 years he appeared on
TVW–7's ''Thursday Party'' and the following year on ''Play a Simple Melody''.
In 1964 he was spotted by a TVW–7 representative at a Trinity College concert and invited to appear on nightly variety show, ''In Perth Tonight''.
In 1966 he took over as compere of
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
TV pop music show, ''Club 17''.
At
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...
he commenced an Economics course and formed a band, The Jeff Phillips Scene.
Early in 1968 he relinquished his studies and moved to Melbourne where he signed with
Festival Records
Festival Records (later known as Festival Mushroom Records) was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005.
Festival was a wholly owned subsidiary of News Limited from 1961 to ...
.
During that year he competed on a TV talent quest, ''
New Faces
''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central.
Original series: 1973 ...
'', he appeared on teen pop music show, ''Uptight'', and variety show, ''
In Melbourne Tonight
''In Melbourne Tonight'', also known as ''IMT'', was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning Australian variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970.
Overview
Graham Kennedy was the show's main host and sta ...
''.
In November he issued his debut single, which was a cover version of
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFadd ...
' 1961 hit, "
Baby It's You
"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon (credited as Barney Williams), and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles, and was a hit for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby I ...
",
and had also been covered by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
in 1963.
In December 1968 Phillips' version peaked at No. 34 on the ''
Go-Set
''Go-Set'' was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble. NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. Widely described as ...
'' National Top 40 singles chart.
That year the track also appeared on his debut extended play, ''The Wonderful World of Jeff Phillips''.
In June 1969 on the
''Go-Set'' Pop Poll he was voted fifth on a list of most popular Male Vocal artists.
Although he issued further singles, until the early 1980s, he had no other national Top 40 chart success.
From September 1969 Phillips was the host of his own
ABC TV pop variety show, ''Sounds Like Us''.
''
The Australian Women's Weekly
''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by ...
''s Sally White described Phillips as having "charm" and "set for a long and highly tuneful career" with his "elfin chin and clean cut appeal".
In 1970 he released a video recording of ''Sound Like Us'' with tracks by himself and by his guests, fellow pop singers,
Ronnie Burns and
Bev Harrell
Beverley Anne Harrell, (born 24 October 1946) is an Australian pop singer and musical theatre actress, most famous for her 1966 Australian hit "What Am I Doing Here with You?".
Biography
Harrell was born on 24 October 1946 in North Adelaide t ...
.
At the
Logie Awards of 1970
The 12th Annual ''TV Week'' Logie Awards were presented on Friday 20 March 1970 at Southern Cross Hotel in Melbourne and broadcast on the Nine Network. Bert Newton from the Nine Network was the Master of Ceremonies. Miss World 1968 winner Penelo ...
, sponsored by ''
TV Week
''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news.
Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...
'', he won the George Wallace Memorial Logie for Best New Talent.
In April 1971 he hosted a Saturday morning teen pop music show, ''Happening '71'', for
ATV-0 and followed with ''Happening '72'' the next year.
In July 1972 Phillips won a song prize at the Fifth Olympiad of Song, held in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, performing his self-written work, "Gloria"; the prize was 100,000
drachmae
The drachma ( el, δραχμή , ; pl. ''drachmae'' or ''drachmas'') was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history:
# An ancient Greek currency unit issued by many Greek city states during a period of ten centuries, fro ...
(
AUD
The Australian dollar (sign: $; code: AUD) is the currency of Australia, including its external territories: Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island. It is officially used as currency by three independent Pacific Island s ...
$2,797).
At the ''TV Week'' King of Pop Awards of 1972 he won Best Dressed Male.
In December that year he was placed fourth on ''Go-Set''s Pop Poll for most popular Male Vocalists.
Following the demise of ''Happening '72'', in 1973, he relocated to the United Kingdom,
where he was based for several years.
He released a number of singles there including a version of
John Paul Young
John Inglis Young, OAM (born 21 June 1950), known professionally as John Paul Young, is a Scottish-born Australian pop singer who had his 1978 worldwide hit with " Love Is in the Air". His career was boosted by regular appearances as a perfor ...
's, "Yesterday's Hero" (1975).
During his time in UK he became a regular act at the Speakeasy Club. In 1977 he appeared on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' for eight episodes and on ''Seaside Special'' for three episodes.
In the late 1970s he re-located to Los Angeles for a time.
He returned to Australia where he briefly hosted the game show ''Child's Play'' for the Seven Network in 1984. Then from July 1985 to October 1987 he appeared in the Australian stage production of ''
; and then the Melbourne season; he also performed on the original Australian cast album.
He then went on to club work. Phillips was a regular TVW-7 personality who often performed
material on various ''Tonight'' shows. In 1991 he hosted the Ten Network TV talent show, ''Star Search'', where finalists were determined by phone-in votes from viewers.
''; he described his work as having "some steamy scenes and it will attract a bit of interest".
* "What a Wonderful World" – 1969
* "Everything I Touch Turns to Tears" – 1969 (KMR No. 63)
* "Wrong or Right" – 1970 (Festival)
* "I Want to Be Famous Like My Dad" – 1970 (Generation)
* "Movement of Love" – 1971 (Generation)
* "Gloria" – 1972 (Havoc)
* "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" – 1973 (WWA)
* "Shake a Hand" – 1974 (UA)
* "Yesterday's Hero" – 1975
* "Superman (I Want To Make You Love Me)" – 1976 (as Jeff Phillips & Tigerwing)
* "Crying in the Middle of the Night" – 1976
* "Here You Come Again" – 1977 (NEMS)
* "Jojo" – 1978 (RCA Victor UK)
* "Let Your Love Go" – 1977
* "Rock Me Slowly" – 1978 (RCA UK)
* "Somebody's Stolen My Thunder" – (NEMS)
* "L.A. Reggae" – 1981 (Astor)
* "Desire" – 1981 (RCA)
'' and was established in February 1966 and conducted an annual poll during 1966 to 1972 of its readers to determine the most popular personalities.
, -
, 1969
, himself
, Male Vocal
, 5th
, -
, 1972
, himself
, Male Artist
, 4th
, -
. The King of Pop award started in 1967 and ran through to 1978.
is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by magazine TV Week, with the first ceremony in 1959, known then as the TV Week Awards, the awards are presented in 20 categories representing both public and industry voted awards.
, -
,
* Noel McGrath's ''Australian Encyclopedia of Rock & Pop'' – 1978
* ''The Who's Who of Australian Rock'' – Chris Spencer – Moonlight Publishing
* ''An Australian Rock Discography'' – Chris Spencer −1990 – Moonlight Publishing
* Gavin Ryan's Sydney & Melbourne Chart Books