George Washington "Wash" Phillips (January 11, 1880 – September 20, 1954)
was an American
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
and
gospel blues
Gospel blues (or holy blues) is a form of blues-based gospel music that has been around since the inception of blues music. It combines evangelistic lyrics with blues instrumentation, often blues guitar accompaniment.
According to musician and ...
singer and instrumentalist. The exact nature of the instrument or instruments he played is uncertain, being identified only as "novelty accompaniment" on the labels of the
78 rpm
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...
records released during his lifetime.
Biography
He was born in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, on January 11, 1880, the son of Tim Phillips (from Mississippi) and Nancy Phillips (, from Texas).
People who knew him as an adult recalled him as standing about or tall, and being "stocky" or about ; and that he was a
snuff
Snuff may refer to:
Tobacco
* Snuff (tobacco), fine-ground tobacco, sniffed into the nose
** Moist snuff or dipping tobacco
** Creamy snuff, an Indian tobacco paste
Media and entertainment
* Snuff film, a type of film that shows a murder
Literat ...
-dipper. He farmed of land by the settlement of Simsboro near
Teague, Texas
Teague is a city in Freestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,384 at the 2020 census.
Settlement
The area was first settled around the time of the Civil War. During the latter half of the nineteenth century, a small community kn ...
. He was described as a "jack-leg preacher"i.e. someone not necessarily an
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
minister, who would attend regular services at churches hoping for an opportunity to
preach, but who would more often address spontaneous gatherings in the street, or set up their own
storefront church
A storefront church is a church, usually in the North American context of the United States, and to a much lesser extent, Canada, that is housed in a storefront or strip mall building that formerly had a commercial purpose.
Often, the interior o ...
es.
He was a member of Pleasant Hill Trinity
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
Church in Simsboro, but is also known to have attended the "sanctified" St. Paul
Church of God In Christ
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly Bl ...
, and the St. James
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
Church, Teague. His song "
Denomination Blues
"Denomination Blues" is a gospel blues song composed by Washington Phillips (18801954), and recorded by him (vocals and zither) in 1927.
In 1938, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (191573) recorded a gospel version of the song under the title "That's All" ...
" criticizes
sectarianism
Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups which are often related to the form of government which they live under. Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred can arise in these conflicts, depending on the political status quo ...
in organized religion and
hypocritical
Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another or the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform. In moral psychology, it is th ...
preachers. His uncomplicated and sincere faith is summarised in the last two lines of that song:
Between 1927 and 1929, he recorded 18 songs for
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
in a makeshift recording studio in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas, under the direction of
Frank B. Walker. Six of those songs were the first and second parts of three two-part songs, intended for opposite sides of one record. Four songs were unreleased at the time, and two are thought to have been lost.
On September 20, 1954, he died of head injuries,
sustained in a fall down a flight of stairs at the welfare office in Teague. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Cotton Gin Cemetery, six miles west of Teague. His wife Marie outlived him.
Some sources give his birthdate as and/or his date and place of death as December, 1938 in
Austin State Hospital
Austin State Hospital (ASH), formerly known until 1925 as the Texas State Lunatic Asylum, is a 299-bed psychiatric hospital located in Austin, Texas. It is the oldest psychiatric facility in the state of Texas, and the oldest continuously operating ...
. Research has shown that that was a different Washington Phillips, the son of Houston Phillips and Emma Phillips (); he too farmed near Teague.
Some sources (notably, some
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
entries) refer to him as "Blind Washington Phillips". There is no suggestion in other reliable sources that he had anything less than perfect sight.
Phillips' instruments
A photograph in ''
The Louisiana Weekly
''The Louisiana Weekly'' is a weekly newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana. It emphasizes topics of interest to the African-American community, especially in the New Orleans area and south Louisiana. It has an estimated weekly circulati ...
'' of January 14, 1928, shows Phillips holding two fretless
zither
Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat bo ...
-like instruments. That date lies between the second and third of his five recording sessions. The instrument in his right hand has been identified as a
celestaphone and that in his left as a phonoharp, both manufactured by the
Phonoharp Company The Phonoharp Company (1892–1928) was an American manufacturer of musical instruments based in Boston, Massachusetts. Among the instruments the company was known for was the autoharp, whose design they acquired from Alfred Dolge in 1910; they ...
; in both cases with the hammer attachment missing (the instruments as sold were a type of
hammered dulcimer
The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more trad ...
).
In the 1960s, Frank B. Walker identified Phillips' instrument to
musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
and author
Paul Oliver
Paul Hereford Oliver MBE (25 May 1927 – 15 August 2017) was an English architectural historian and writer on the blues and other forms of African-American music. He was equally distinguished in both fields, although it is likely that aficion ...
as a "dulceola", saying that "nobody else on earth could use it except him". Before a recording session, Phillips would spend half an hour or more assembling it.
It has often been assumed that Walker meant a
dolceola
A dolceola is a musical instrument resembling a miniature piano, but which is in fact a zither with a keyboard. It has an unusual, angelic, music-box sound. Dolceolas were made by the Toledo Symphony Company from 1903 to 1907.
Performers
Paul ...
, but that cannot be so: the dolceola was manufactured, sold, and recorded commercially, and did not need assembly before use. It seems more likely that the name "dulceola" was coined specifically for unusual instruments made by Phillips himself from broken discarded ones.
The aural evidence suggests Phillips strummed and plucked the strings of his instrument, and did not hammer them. Some listeners have claimed to discern differences between the instruments he used in different songs.
In 2016, journalist Michael Corcoran discovered a 1907 newspaper article which reported that Phillips' name for his instrument was a "manzarene", and further described it as "a box about 2×3 feet, 6 inches deep,
nwhich he has strung violin strings, something on the order of an autoharp. . . . He uses both hands and plays all sorts of airs. Others were influenced by Mike Ferguson's references that Washington had created his music on a simple 6 string, but Ferguson later discredited that after further review. "
This newly discovered name for the instrument was factored into the title of a 2016 collection of Phillips' surviving recordings, ''Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams''.
Grammy nominations
The album, ''Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams'', received two nominations for the
2018 Grammy Awards
The 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 28, 2018. The CBS network broadcast the show live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show was moved to January to avoid coinciding with the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongch ...
, for Best Historical Album and Best Album Notes.
Discography
Cultural legacy
Numerous compilations of Washington Phillips' complete recorded work have been released, such as ''The Key to the Kingdom'' on Yazoo Records in 2005. His songs have been covered by a variety of artists:
*
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (born Rosetta Nubin, March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer and guitarist. She gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her Gospel music, gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spir ...
recorded "That's All" in 1938 (Decca
2503B): it is "Denomination Blues" with altered words and with a different title, taken from the refrain
*
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder (born March 15, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, film score composer, record producer, and writer. He is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known for his slide guitar work, his interest in traditional music, an ...
recorded Phillips' "Denomination Blues" on his 1971 album ''
Into the Purple Valley
''Into the Purple Valley'' is the second studio album by roots rock musician Ry Cooder, released in 1972.
The album's front cover is listed at number 12 on ''Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Album Covers. It shows Cooder and his then wife, Susan Tite ...
'' and "You Can't Stop a Tattler", as "Tattler", on his album ''
Paradise and Lunch
''Paradise and Lunch'' is the fourth album by roots rock musician Ry Cooder, released on June 8, 1974 on Reprise Records. The album is composed of cover versions of jazz, blues and roots standards and obscurities recorded at the Warner Brothers S ...
'' (1974).
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
covered Cooder's "Tattler" arrangement on her 1976 ''
Hasten Down The Wind
''Hasten Down the Wind'' is the seventh studio album by singer-songwriter Linda Ronstadt. Released in 1976, it became her third straight million-selling album. Ronstadt was the first female artist to accomplish this feat. The album earned her ...
'' album.
*"Denomination Blues" has also been recorded by the contemporary Christian groups
2nd Chapter of Acts
The 2nd Chapter of Acts was a Jesus music and early contemporary Christian music group composed of sisters Annie Herring and Nelly Greisen and brother Matthew Ward. They began performing in 1972 and enjoyed their period of greatest success du ...
on their 1975 live album ''
To the Bride'' with
Barry McGuire
Barry McGuire (born October 15, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter primarily known for his 1965 hit " Eve of Destruction". Later he would pioneer as a singer and songwriter of Contemporary Christian music.
Early life
McGuire was born in O ...
, and
The 77s
The 77s (alternatively spelled the Seventy Sevens, the 77's, or simply 77's) is an American rock music, rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon (musician), Mark Harmon on bass guitar, and Bruce Spencer on drums.
Histo ...
on their debut album ''
Ping Pong over the Abyss'' (1983).
*
Jorma Kaukonen
Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen, Jr. (; ; born December 23, 1940) is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist. Kaukonen performed with Jefferson Airplane and still performs regularly on tour with Hot Tuna, which started as a side project with bassist J ...
recorded "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" as the closing song of his 2002 album ''
Blue Country Heart
''Blue Country Heart'' is a Jorma Kaukonen studio album released in June, 2002. It was his first album on a major label since 1980's ''Barbeque King''. Kaukonen did not write any new compositions for the album, and instead played mostly country- ...
''.
*
Will Oldham
Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...
recorded Phillips' "I Had a Good Father and Mother" on the
Palace Brothers
Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...
album ''
There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You
''There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You'' is the debut studio album by Will Oldham. It was released under the band name Palace Brothers on Drag City in 1993. Oldham is accompanied by several members of Louisville rock band Slint.
Critical re ...
'' (1993).
Gillian Welch
Gillian Howard Welch (; born October 2, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, countr ...
also recorded this song on her 2003 album entitled ''
Soul Journey
''Soul Journey'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Gillian Welch. It was released on June 9, 2003 by Acony Records. As with all of her previous releases, it is a collaboration with David Rawlings.
Background
The album w ...
''.
*
The Be Good Tanyas
The Be Good Tanyas are a Canadian folk music group formed in Vancouver in 1999. Their influences include folk music, folk, country music, country, and bluegrass music, bluegrass. The style of music they perform can be referred to as alt-country ...
recorded "What are They Doing in Heaven Today" on ''
Hello Love''.
*"What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" was used in a scene in the movie ''
Elizabethtown'' where the main character visits The Survivor Tree in Oklahoma.
*
Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogw ...
perform a version of "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" on the ''
Les Revenants''
original soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of ...
for the
French TV series of the same name.
*
Phish
Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
has performed "Paul and Silas in Jail" on 78 occasions. This song became a relatively common part of their live performance from 1990 to 1993, but has been played on occasion since.
*Phillips' "I Am Born to Preach the Gospel" features on the soundtrack of
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...
's 2009 film ''
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?
''My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done'' is a 2009 crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog, and written by Herzog and Herbert Golder. The film stars Michael Shannon as Brad McCullam, a mentally unstable man who kills his own mother (played by Grac ...
''. It was also featured in the song "The Dyslexic Porn Star Who Funked in Her Space" by the British band
Morcheeba
Morcheeba is an English electronic band formed in the mid-1990s with founding members vocalist Skye Edwards and the brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey. They mix influences from trip hop, rock music, rock, folk rock and downtempo, and have produced ...
.
*
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...
recorded Phillips' "
Lift Him Up That's All
"Lift Him Up That's All" is a gospel blues song recorded in 1927 by Washington Phillips. It is a solo performance, with Phillips' vocals and zither.
Description
The verses tell the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, found i ...
" on his 2011 album ''A Mother's Prayer''.
*In 2009,
Atlas Sound
Bradford James Cox (born May 15, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Deerhunter. He also pursues a solo career under the moniker Atlas Sound.
Cox formed Deerh ...
sampled Phillips' "Lift Him Up That's All" for the song "Washington School" on the ''
Logos
''Logos'' (, ; grc, wikt:λόγος, λόγος, lógos, lit=word, discourse, or reason) is a term used in Western philosophy, psychology and rhetoric and refers to the appeal to reason that relies on logic or reason, inductive and deductive ...
'' album.
*Phillips' song "Mothers Last Word to Her Son" was featured heavily in the film ''
We Need to Talk About Kevin
''We Need to Talk About Kevin'' is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver, published by Serpent's Tail, about a fictional school massacre. It is written from the first person perspective of the teenage killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documen ...
''.
*Montreal-based saxophonist
Colin Stetson
Colin Stetson (born March 3, 1975) is a Canadian-American saxophonist, multireedist, and composer based in Montreal. He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Bell Orchestre, and Ex Eye. In additio ...
covered "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" on ''
New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light''. The track features
Bon Iver
Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon.
Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...
's
Justin Vernon
Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the primary songwriter and frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. Known for his distinct falsetto voic ...
on vocals.
*
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...
recorded "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today" on her 2015 EP ''Your Good Fortune''.
*
Kate Wolf
Kate Wolf (born Kathryn Louise Allen; January 27, 1942 – December 10, 1986) was an American folk singer and songwriter."Kate Wolf", pp. 533–534, in '' All Music Guide'', 2nd edition (1994), edited by Michael Erlewine. San Francisco: Miller ...
recorded "I Had A Good Father and Mother" on her 1994 live album ''Looking Back At You''. The track includes a spoken introduction about listening to Washington Phillips' records.
*
Animal Collective
Animal Collective is an American experimental pop band formed in Baltimore, Maryland. Its members consist of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Geologist (Brian Weitz), and Deakin (Josh Dibb). The band's work is characterized ...
do a short rendition of "
I’ve Got the Key to the Kingdom" as a prelude to "The Purple Bottle" on the live album ''
Live at 9:30''.
References
External links
Washington Phillips CD study
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Washington
1880 births
1954 deaths
20th-century African-American male singers
American gospel singers
Gospel blues musicians
People from Freestone County, Texas
Columbia Records artists
American blues singers
Zither players
Accidental deaths from falls
Accidental deaths in Texas
African-American Christians
Baptists from Texas
20th-century Baptists
African-American male singer-songwriters
Singer-songwriters from Texas