James Phillips (22 January 1959 - 31 July 1995) was a South African rock singer, songwriter and performer.

Phillips grew up in the conservative East Rand mining town of Springs. Phillips discovered Rock n Roll and perhaps significantly the protest music of Bob Dylan the course of his life changed dramatically, in the late 1970s he formed his first band, Corporal Punishment with friends Carl Raubenheimer and Mark Bennet.