Grant-Lee Phillips (born September 1, 1963) is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for his versatile voice, intense lyrical narratives and dexterity on the acoustic twelve-string guitar, a style that often sees him compared to Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.

Background

Born in Stockton, California, Phillips began playing the guitar in his early teens and persevered throughout high school. At age 19 he moved to Los Angeles where he worked tarring roofs to fund evening classes at UCLA and the possibility of forming a band at weekends. He eventually dropped out of college and linked up with an old friend from Stockton named Jeffery Clark. Together they formed Shiva Burlesque and released two lauded LPs Shiva Burlesque (Nate Starkman & Son; 1987) and Mercury Blues (Fundamental; 1990) which due to a failure to fit with LA's glam metal scene of the late 1980s did not make any commercial impact. Phillips and Clark disbanded shortly afterwards which duly meant the end of the band.

Grant Lee Buffalo

Following a handful of solo shows at clubs around Hollywood, Phillips recruited ex-Shiva members Joey Peters (drums) and Paul Kimble (bass) for rehearsals as Grant Lee Buffalo in mid-1991. Phillips was now writing lyrics as well as music and the trio quickly built up a local following, selling out clubs on the strength of Phillips's intense performance. His political storytelling was delivered in a recently discovered voice: both a soaring falsetto and a nourishing drawl that matched his aggressive acoustic guitar stomp and pouting physicality. One song, "Fuzzy", was released on Bob Mould's Singles Only Label in 1992 to huge critical acclaim and lead to Grant Lee Buffalo being signed to Slash Records. The debut LP, also called Fuzzy, was released a year later, upon which Michael Stipe of R.E.M. declared it "the best album of the year hands down".

A further three Grant Lee Buffalo albums followed. Mighty Joe Moon (1994), Copperopolis (1996), and Jubilee (1998) were all quite different and highly accomplished. A live performance of Mighty Joe Moon's title track is available online from the South by Southwest festival.[1] Though all were heavily promoted through concert touring, they never escaped cult status largely thanks to a lack of support from the Warner Bros label and a frustrated Phillips disbanded the band in early 1999.

Solo career

Phillips immediately signed to the Boston-based indie label Rounder Records and launched a solo career, issuing the intimate Ladies Love Oracle over the Internet in 2000. The recording was later more widely released. His first full-length LP, Mobilize, was released to enormous critical acclaim in 2001. Being praised as much for its gentleness as much as Buffalo were for their rock, it featured Phillips's talents on many instruments, including both dreamy pop and dark but comforting ballads. Touring followed with sets containing solo and Buffalo material in equal measure.

In 2004 Virginia Creeper arrived and with it a more folky, almost-country record noted for the complete absence of the electric guitar. In 2006 Phillips released another acoustic album, Nineteeneighties. An ambitious set of cover versions, it featured songs from the Pixies, New Order, Robyn Hitchcock, R.E.M., The Church, and Echo & the Bunnymen. A new record of his own material, Strangelet, was released on March 27, 2007.

Trivia

* In 1995 he was voted best male vocalist by Rolling Stone magazine.

* Grant often collaborates with producer/musician Jon Brion as well as Rickie Lee Jones. He is currently writing with former Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris.

* He can be found at the LA club Largo performing sporadically throughout the year.

* He played a recurring minor character as the town troubadour on the television series Gilmore Girls. Solo songs featured on the show include "Beautiful Dreamers", "Heavenly", "Lily A Passion", "Mona Lisa", "Sadness Soot", "Smile", "Spring Released", and "Sunday Best". Grant Lee Buffalo songs featured on the show include "Everybody Needs A Little Sanctuary", "Honey Don't Think", "It's the Life", "Mockingbirds", and "Truly, Truly".[2]

* He sings "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" with Aimee Mann on her Christmas album One More Drifter in the Snow. He was also part of her 2006 tour for that album.

* Grant-Lee Phillips is of Native American descent and a registered member of the Creek Nations.

Discography

Year Album

2000 Ladies Love Oracle

2001 Mobilize

2004 Virginia Creeper

2006 nineteeneighties

2007 Strangelet Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.