Herbert Daly Phillips
Encyclopedia
Herbert Daly Phillips , better known as Herb or Herbie Phillips (April 20, 1935, Lincoln
, Nebraska
- September 13, 1995, Las Vegas
, Nevada
), was an American jazz trumpeter, big band
composer, and arranger. He was prominent in the Las Vegas music community. He played trumpet in several notable big bands, including those of Louie Bellson
, Buddy Morrow
, and Billy May
, but he is better known as the composer of pieces such as "Little Train," recorded several times by The Buddy Rich
Big Band. Phillips worked as trumpeter and conductor for both Frank Sinatra
and Frank Sinatra, Jr.
.
His mother, Evelyn Phillips (née Daly), a graduate of the University of Nebraska and a kindergarten teacher, died in 1949 when Phillips was 14. She had played a major role in introducing Herbie to the arts. Distraught over the loss, and as a teenager, Herbie did not did get along well with his father, Guy W. Phillips, especially when the latter remarried. Herbie moved in with his maternal aunt and uncle. Phillips' father, a salesman for the George F. Burt Company, died in Lincoln, Nebraska, when Herbie was 19.
in Fremont
, Nebraska
, in 1953 and attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, during the summer of 1954. After high school, he played trumpet in several territory band
s, namely the Dick Mango
Orchestra and the Verne Byers
Orchestra, that were booked by the National Orchestra Service
in Omaha
. During Phillips's tour with his second group, the Verne Byers Orchestra, he met band member Pat Thompson, a trombonist, with whom he became close, life-long friends. While touring with Verne Byers, Phillips arranged a few songs, including "Pennies From Heaven
."
In 1955, Phillips and Pat Thompson moved to New York City
, sharing an apartment at 61 West 83rd Street. At that time, Bill Evans
lived in the basement apartment
. While waiting to get his union card, a six-month period, Phillips subbed in bands, including those led by Les Elgart
, Woody Herman
, Dan Terry, Leon Merian, and Jimmy Dorsey.
Around 1960-61, Phillips and his wife Carol moved to Las Vegas, joining Pat Thompson. Phillips spent the remainder of his life in Las Vegas. He played in several show bands and eventually landed a long-lasting gig in the house band at the Flamingo Las Vegas
.
Phillips played in the Las Vegas Hilton house band from 1970 to about 1983. Even though his colleagues often saw him writing arrangements during show band breaks, as seen in the documentary film of Elvis
's first appearance at the Las Vegas Hilton
, he generally refused composer work while he was working at the Hilton. Phillips, in those days, concentrated on his house band performances.
With a new act typically every two weeks, Phillips found it difficult to think in a creative way. However, he maintained a large record collection, and fellow musicians would frequent his home to listen to, and discuss, music. He was not interested in investing time or effort in composing, and even turned down potentially lucrative writing and arranging jobs for several singers. When he did arrange big band charts on an avocation
al basis, he did not tell many people, nor did he rehearse them.
In 1973, Phillips became close friends with James Moody
during Moody's seven-year tenure at the Hilton. Also, while working at the Hilton, Phillips performed with the David Rose
Orchestra.
Several factors compelled Phillips to ultimately leave the Las Vegas Hilton. First, the Hilton management changed the showroom format by bringing in a production show; the type of show that, if it were a hit, would require a musician to play the same music for years. Phillips was disinclined. Around 1975, Phillips injured his lip, which developed into a lump that wouldn't heal. He took lessons to rebuild his embouchure, but worried that if he continued to play, he would permanently damage his lip. Some people, including Verne Byers
, felt that the music industry (from the perspective of musicians) fell apart in Las Vegas in 1983. The big band era was at a low, and major casinos were switching from live bands to taped music, which resulted in a major musicians strike in 1989.
Having saved some money, Phillips was in a position leave his job at the Hilton. Some consider his lip injury fortuitous, because it led to writing for his own rehearsal band. Though there are a number of rehearsal tapes in circulation (see "Videos" below), Phillips's band never recorded a professionally engineered studio album
.
Up until the late 1980s, the Las Vegas Musicians Union had its own rehearsal hall that members used for rehearsal bands, known as "kicks bands." Phillip's rehearsal band was a "kicks band."
Phillips was a member of the American Federation of Musicians
, New York City, Local 802 from 1955 until 1960, and Las Vegas, Local 369 from 1961 until 1995.
dancers in Las Vegas. Distribution under Phillip's Estate went to Russo.
Carl Saunders
, trumpeter, band leader, composer, and arranger, became one of Phillip's best friends. Phillips became a mentor to Carl. Saunders has continued to publish, market, record, and perform Phillips's music. Saunders also released an album
, Be Bop Big Band, which not only is dedicated to Phillips, but also features several of his compositions (see "Discography" below).
Phillips died September 13, 1995, from complications of an aneurysm
that struck while conducting a jazz band rehearsal at the Community College of Southern Nevada.
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
- September 13, 1995, Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
), was an American jazz trumpeter, big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
composer, and arranger. He was prominent in the Las Vegas music community. He played trumpet in several notable big bands, including those of Louie Bellson
Louie Bellson
Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni , better known by the stage name Louie Bellson , was an Italian-American jazz drummer...
, Buddy Morrow
Buddy Morrow
Buddy Morrow was an American trombonist and bandleader. He is known for his mastery of the upper range which is evident on records such as "The Golden Trombone," as well as his ballad playing.- His life :Morrow was once a member of The Tonight Show Band...
, and Billy May
Billy May
William E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...
, but he is better known as the composer of pieces such as "Little Train," recorded several times by The Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
Big Band. Phillips worked as trumpeter and conductor for both Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
.
His mother, Evelyn Phillips (née Daly), a graduate of the University of Nebraska and a kindergarten teacher, died in 1949 when Phillips was 14. She had played a major role in introducing Herbie to the arts. Distraught over the loss, and as a teenager, Herbie did not did get along well with his father, Guy W. Phillips, especially when the latter remarried. Herbie moved in with his maternal aunt and uncle. Phillips' father, a salesman for the George F. Burt Company, died in Lincoln, Nebraska, when Herbie was 19.
Career
Phillips graduated from Fremont High SchoolFremont Senior High School (Nebraska)
Fremont Senior High is the sole public high school for the City of Fremont, Nebraska. FHS operates grades 9-12 with an average population of 951 students at one time. Fremont's mascot is the Tigers and the school's colors are Black and Gold....
in Fremont
Fremont, Nebraska
Fremont is a city in and the county seat of Dodge County, Nebraska, United States, near Omaha in the eastern part of the state. The population was 26,397 at the 2010 census....
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, in 1953 and attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, during the summer of 1954. After high school, he played trumpet in several territory band
Territory band
Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, 6 or 7 nights a week at venues like VFW halls, Elks Lodges,...
s, namely the Dick Mango
Dick Mango
Dick Mango was an American Bandleader and saxophonist, originally from Detroit. He led a well-known territory band — The Dick Mango Orchestra — that was booked out of Omaha in the 1950s...
Orchestra and the Verne Byers
Verne Byers
Verne Byers, aka Vern Byers, was an American bandleader of a territory band, a bassist, a concert promoter, and an owner-operator of several live music clubs and restaurants in Denver...
Orchestra, that were booked by the National Orchestra Service
National Orchestra Service
The National Orchestra Service, Inc. , was the most important booking and management agency for territory bands across the Great Plains and other regions from the early 1930s through 1960...
in Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
. During Phillips's tour with his second group, the Verne Byers Orchestra, he met band member Pat Thompson, a trombonist, with whom he became close, life-long friends. While touring with Verne Byers, Phillips arranged a few songs, including "Pennies From Heaven
Pennies from Heaven (song)
"Pennies from Heaven" is a 1936 American popular song with music by Arthur Johnston and words by Johnny Burke. It was introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1936 film of the same name...
."
In 1955, Phillips and Pat Thompson moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, sharing an apartment at 61 West 83rd Street. At that time, Bill Evans
Bill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
lived in the basement apartment
Basement apartment
A basement apartment is an apartment located below street level, underneath another structure—usually an apartment building, but possibly a house or a business. Rent in basement apartments is usually much lower than it is in above-ground units, due to a number of deficiencies common to basement...
. While waiting to get his union card, a six-month period, Phillips subbed in bands, including those led by Les Elgart
Larry Elgart
Larry Elgart is an American jazz bandleader, who with his brother, Les, recorded the original rendition of "Bandstand Boogie", theme to the long-running teen dance show, American Bandstand.-Biography:...
, Woody Herman
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
, Dan Terry, Leon Merian, and Jimmy Dorsey.
Around 1960-61, Phillips and his wife Carol moved to Las Vegas, joining Pat Thompson. Phillips spent the remainder of his life in Las Vegas. He played in several show bands and eventually landed a long-lasting gig in the house band at the Flamingo Las Vegas
Flamingo Las Vegas
The Flamingo Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp.. The property offers a casino along with 3,626 hotel rooms...
.
Phillips played in the Las Vegas Hilton house band from 1970 to about 1983. Even though his colleagues often saw him writing arrangements during show band breaks, as seen in the documentary film of Elvis
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's first appearance at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
, he generally refused composer work while he was working at the Hilton. Phillips, in those days, concentrated on his house band performances.
With a new act typically every two weeks, Phillips found it difficult to think in a creative way. However, he maintained a large record collection, and fellow musicians would frequent his home to listen to, and discuss, music. He was not interested in investing time or effort in composing, and even turned down potentially lucrative writing and arranging jobs for several singers. When he did arrange big band charts on an avocation
Avocation
An avocation is an activity that one engages in as a hobby outside one's main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside of their workplaces were their true passions in life...
al basis, he did not tell many people, nor did he rehearse them.
In 1973, Phillips became close friends with James Moody
James Moody (saxophonist)
James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.-Biography:James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia...
during Moody's seven-year tenure at the Hilton. Also, while working at the Hilton, Phillips performed with the David Rose
David Rose
David Rose was a British-born American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader. His most famous compositions were "The Stripper", "Holiday for Strings", and "Calypso Melody"...
Orchestra.
Several factors compelled Phillips to ultimately leave the Las Vegas Hilton. First, the Hilton management changed the showroom format by bringing in a production show; the type of show that, if it were a hit, would require a musician to play the same music for years. Phillips was disinclined. Around 1975, Phillips injured his lip, which developed into a lump that wouldn't heal. He took lessons to rebuild his embouchure, but worried that if he continued to play, he would permanently damage his lip. Some people, including Verne Byers
Verne Byers
Verne Byers, aka Vern Byers, was an American bandleader of a territory band, a bassist, a concert promoter, and an owner-operator of several live music clubs and restaurants in Denver...
, felt that the music industry (from the perspective of musicians) fell apart in Las Vegas in 1983. The big band era was at a low, and major casinos were switching from live bands to taped music, which resulted in a major musicians strike in 1989.
Having saved some money, Phillips was in a position leave his job at the Hilton. Some consider his lip injury fortuitous, because it led to writing for his own rehearsal band. Though there are a number of rehearsal tapes in circulation (see "Videos" below), Phillips's band never recorded a professionally engineered studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
.
His charts were timeless and so much fun to play. Everyone who knew Herbie loved him. He was an instant friend to everyone and always made you feel as if you knew him forever. Absorbic wit, incredible jazz soloist and could make you laugh with just a look.
Up until the late 1980s, the Las Vegas Musicians Union had its own rehearsal hall that members used for rehearsal bands, known as "kicks bands." Phillip's rehearsal band was a "kicks band."
Phillips was a member of the American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
, New York City, Local 802 from 1955 until 1960, and Las Vegas, Local 369 from 1961 until 1995.
Family and friends
He was once married to (and divorced from) Carol Phillips, but spent his final 20 years with his girlfriend, Barbara Camp Russo, who still lives in Las Vegas. Russo later discovered that she had known Carol Phillips from their earlier days as chorus lineChorus line
A chorus line is a substantial group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms such as ponies, gypsies and twirlies...
dancers in Las Vegas. Distribution under Phillip's Estate went to Russo.
Carl Saunders
Carl Saunders
Carl Saunders, born , is a jazz trumpeter, composer and educator who worked with Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Bill Holman and Clare Fischer. Trombone player Carl Fontana once called Saunders "the best trumpet player you've never heard."- Origins :...
, trumpeter, band leader, composer, and arranger, became one of Phillip's best friends. Phillips became a mentor to Carl. Saunders has continued to publish, market, record, and perform Phillips's music. Saunders also released an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Be Bop Big Band, which not only is dedicated to Phillips, but also features several of his compositions (see "Discography" below).
Phillips died September 13, 1995, from complications of an aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
that struck while conducting a jazz band rehearsal at the Community College of Southern Nevada.