Phil Thomas Katt
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Phil Thomas Katt, sometimes called PTK, is a singer/songwriter, filmmaker, music video producer, and radio DJ from
Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
. He is the creator and host of ''The Uncharted Zone'', a weekly, web-based program that showcases the music videos of both local musicians and artists across the globe. He also hosts PTK Late Nite on Radio Free Pensacola, an internet radio station. Phil Thomas Katt is renowned for his use of self-describing adjectives, including "The Space-Happy," "The Flamboyant," and, perhaps his best known, "The
Eccentric Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off-center, in geometry * Eccentricity (graph theory) of a v ...
". He is recognized for his "smooth, Southern voice" and trademark black shag hairdo and sunglasses.


Early life

In 1967, Phil Thomas Katt gave his first live performance before an audience of nine fellow neighborhood children. The set included his own rendition of the "
Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for thr ...
" theme song. According to Katt, "The first time I performed, I sang the 'Gilligan's Island' song for the neighborhood kids. I knew right then that I wanted to be a musician." Katt was briefly on the air in his childhood neighborhood, having built an AM Radio Transmitter from a schematic. The FCC eventually tracked down the station Katt called WPHL, shut it down, and fined his father.


Early recording career

Katt was heavily influenced by the music of David Gates and
Bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made f ...
. This influence eventually inspired him to begin writing his own songs. One of his first compositions was penning lyrics to an instrumental on an album he owned. He later learned guitar to accompany his singing, and, in 1974, formed an acoustic duo, called SUNRISE, with singer/songwriter, Roger Beasley, performing at private parties. By 1977, Katt had recorded his first record, titled ''"Brand New Love."'' He recorded it under the name "Phil" a
Prestige Productions Records
in Birmingham, Alabama. Katt hand-delivered copies of the 45rpm record to radio stations across the
southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...
United States and received airplay on a number of them. That same year, Katt also made his first television appearance o
The Country Boy Eddie Show
a local morning music, variety and talk show also based in Birmingham. He was also the warm-up act for Tony McGil, an Elvis impersonator, touring the Southeast and performing at Saenger Theaters and various Municipal Auditoriums. In 1978, Katt signed a contract with King Records. His second single, ''"Rockin' In My Chevy,"'' was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee and was released nationwide. To support the single's release, Katt toured a string of roller skating rinks, where he signed his first autographs.


Radio career

In 1978, Katt got his first radio job at
WFTW WFTW (1260 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, serving the Emerald Coast. It is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a talk radio format. The radio studios and offices are on Hollywood Boulevard NW in Fort ...
, a station based out of Fort Walton Beach, Florida. While there, Katt gained a following for his trivia show, "Journey Through the Night." By 1981, Katt was working at
WNVY WNVY (1070 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio Christian radio is a Christian media radio format that focus on programming with a Christian message. Many such broadcasters play contemporary Christian music, though many pr ...
in Pensacola, where he developed a
fan club A fans club is an organized group of fans, generally of a celebrity. Most fans clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to support them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the per ...
intermixing his music and radio careers. Katt later joined
WXBM WXBM-FM (102.7 MHz) is a country music formatted radio station in the Milton, Pensacola, Gulf Shores Gulf Shores is a resort city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 9,741. Geography Gulf ...
, a country music station also based out of Pensacola, in 1985. However, in 1986, WXBM fired him. According to Katt, the station management felt he was "too Rock 'N' Roll." Katt eventually rejoined WXBM in 1988, once new management came in. In 1990, Katt joined Mobile's ROCK 104. His overnight show went to #1. It was during this time that Katt met Tommy Robinetti, with whom he has since worked with both on ''The Uncharted Zone'' and Radio Free Pensacola. During a period of several months in 1991, Katt was on the air at five separate radio stations, including WXBM, WCOA, and Q100, ROCK 104 and KISS-FM. His overnight request show at WXBM, Radio Jukebox, became the "highest rated overnight show in the history of Gulf Coast FM Radio."


References


External links


Official website

The Uncharted Zone's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katt, Phil Thomas Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Songwriters from Florida American DJs