Todd Phillips (born 1953) is an acoustic bass player who helped invent dawg music. He was a founding member of the David Grisman Quintet in 1975 and an original member of the Tony Rice Unit. He also played bass in the Bluegrass Album Band, which made six albums of classic bluegrass. He produced True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe, which won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
Why Phillips matters
Phillips showed that one bass player could hold down both dawg music and hard bluegrass. In the Grisman Quintet and the Tony Rice Unit he played new acoustic instrumentals that leaned on jazz. In the Bluegrass Album Band, at the same time, he backed J.D. Crowe, Tony Rice, and Doyle Lawson on classic bluegrass songs.
Life and career
Phillips was born on April 21, 1953, in San Jose, California, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 1975 he joined Tony Rice and Darol Anger as founding members of the David Grisman Quintet. He spent five years in the band, playing rhythm mandolin and bass. In 1980 he became an original member of the Tony Rice Unit. He also played in the Bluegrass Album Band with Rice, J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Bobby Hicks, and Jerry Douglas.
In the 1990s he played with Psychograss, the Laurie Lewis Band, and NewGrange. He produced True Life Blues, which won the 1997 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album and two IBMA awards. With David Grier and Matt Flinner he formed the trio Phillips, Grier and Flinner, which released albums in 1999 and 2002 on Compass.
Playing style
Phillips plays acoustic upright bass with a jazz player’s ear for harmony. In the trio with Grier and Flinner, the bass is one of three equal voices, with no banjo or fiddle to fill space. He also teaches. His Homespun series, Essential Techniques for Acoustic Bass, came out in 2001.
Influences and legacy
Phillips played beside Tony Rice, David Grisman, Darol Anger, J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Bobby Hicks, and Jerry Douglas. In 2019 he shared the IBMA Instrumental Recording of the Year with Missy Raines, Mike Bub, and Alison Brown on Darlin’ Pal of Mine.
Signature tunes and songs
Darlin’ Pal of Mine, a bass feature with Missy Raines and Mike Bub.
Essential recordings
Released (Varrick, 1983) True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe, producer (1996) Phillips, Grier and Flinner (Compass, 1999) Looking Back, Phillips, Grier and Flinner (Compass, 2002)
Awards and honors
Grammy Award, Best Bluegrass Album, as producer of True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe (1997) IBMA Instrumental Recording of the Year, Darlin’ Pal of Mine, with Missy Raines, Alison Brown, and Mike Bub (2019)
Watch and listen
Phillips teaches the opening lesson of his Homespun bass course.
What to learn from Phillips
Learn a Bluegrass Album Band song such as Salty Dog Blues with a plain root and fifth. Then learn a Grisman tune and follow every chord change. Switching between the two will teach you to hear harmony without losing the bluegrass pulse. That range is what let Phillips play in both bands at the same time.
Sources
Todd Phillips (musician), Wikipedia Phillips, Todd, BluegrassBios.com Raines, Missy, BluegrassBios.com
Related players
See the bass players hub and the bass guide. Mark Schatz also played bass in the Tony Rice Unit. Missy Raines and Mike Bub recorded with him on Darlin’ Pal of Mine.