Phil Driscoll
Encyclopedia
Phil Driscoll is a contemporary Christian
singer, composer, and perhaps best known for his trumpet playing. He has a music and speaking ministry. Driscoll won a Best Gospel Performance Grammy Award
in 1984 for a duet with Debby Boone
on "Keep the Fire Burning", and has been nominated for two additional Grammys for Best Pop Album and Best Gospel/Pop Album. He also has won numerous other national awards for his music, including the Christian Country Music Association Award for Best Musician and Canadian Country Musical Association's Musician of the Year. In 2006, Driscoll was found guilty of tax evasion and conspiracy and was sentenced to serve one year in Federal prison.
. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma
in 1959, where he began to study trumpet—both in classes at Bell Junior High School and as a private student of Roger Fenn (third trumpet with the Tulsa Philharmonic). While in high school, he won the Amsterdam World Music Festival and was offered numerous music scholarships to college, choosing Baylor University
. In his sophomore year, he released his first album, A Touch of Trumpet. In his senior year, he entered a CBS
television network national talent search competition and won.
, Leon Russell
, Blood, Sweat & Tears
, and Joe Cocker
—as well as the London Philharmonic Orchestra
. After becoming increasingly involved with illegal drug use, Driscoll became a Christian on Christmas Day in 1977. He then gave up using drugs, and dedicated his musical efforts to furthering the Christian faith.
In 1981, Driscoll recorded his first Christian album, "Ten Years After," sharing his new-found beliefs. In 1983, he released I Exalt Thee, winning a GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.
In the 1980s, Driscoll was affiliated with the ministry of Kenneth Copeland
, playing and singing at many KCM Believers' Conventions. In the 1990s, he toured with "Handel's Young Messiah".
He has worked with top session musicians, such as Abraham Laboriel
, Bill Maxwell, Justo Almario, and Greg Mathieson. Between 1999 and 2002, he recorded several albums that featured the organ playing of the late Billy Preston
. He has performed for several United States presidents, and has played at many national events including: the dedication ceremony for Bill Clinton
's presidential library in Little Rock, Arkansas
, and the memorial services following the Columbine High School massacre
.
Driscoll has recorded over two dozen albums in genres including gospel, classic rock, jazz, pop, patriotic, children's ("Gabe and the Good news Gang"), hymns, and classical music. Some of his more recent albums include Spirit of America (2000), Classic Hymns (2004), and Vintage (2004). The album Vintage included Driscoll's version of the rock classic single "Old Time Rock and Roll".
indictment
which charged that the Driscoll's had used their Cleveland, Tennessee
-based Christian music ministry in an income-tax cheating
scheme, failing to report more than $1 million in income and evading the payment of more than $300,000 in taxes from 1996 to 2000. Also indicted was Lynne Driscoll’s mother, bookkeeper Chris Blankenship, who died just before the trial. It was testified that their ministry took in as much as $2.8 million annually, and according to the prosecution, Phil Driscoll owned an airplane, drove a Porsche, and used money funneled through Mighty Horn Ministries to buy and sell lake houses. Rick Blankenship, brother of Lynne Driscoll and former U.S. ambassador
to the Bahamas, testified on behalf of the prosecution that he had worked for Mighty Horn Ministries until he became concerned that “there was little or no differentiation between personal and ministry expenses." On June 8, 2006, Driscoll was found guilty on two counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy, and was sentenced to serve one year in federal prison, beginning on March 14, 2007. Lynn Driscoll was found not guilty on two out of three charges and the jury reached a deadlock
on a third charge of tax evasion. Prosecutors elected to not retry the case.
where he operates his Mighty Horn ministry. Driscoll is recording music in the fields of pop, gospel, country, classic rock, patriotic and classical under his own label, Phil Driscoll Music Group, including Songs in the Key of Worship and Here and Now, both released in 2008.
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
singer, composer, and perhaps best known for his trumpet playing. He has a music and speaking ministry. Driscoll won a Best Gospel Performance Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1984 for a duet with Debby Boone
Debby Boone
Deborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
on "Keep the Fire Burning", and has been nominated for two additional Grammys for Best Pop Album and Best Gospel/Pop Album. He also has won numerous other national awards for his music, including the Christian Country Music Association Award for Best Musician and Canadian Country Musical Association's Musician of the Year. In 2006, Driscoll was found guilty of tax evasion and conspiracy and was sentenced to serve one year in Federal prison.
Early years
Driscoll (born in Seattle, Washington) grew up in a musical family, and began taking music lessons in school when he was a fifth grade student at Lancaster, near Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
in 1959, where he began to study trumpet—both in classes at Bell Junior High School and as a private student of Roger Fenn (third trumpet with the Tulsa Philharmonic). While in high school, he won the Amsterdam World Music Festival and was offered numerous music scholarships to college, choosing Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
. In his sophomore year, he released his first album, A Touch of Trumpet. In his senior year, he entered a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television network national talent search competition and won.
Music career
By the 1970s, Driscoll was touring and recording with major music acts, including Stephen StillsStephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
, Leon Russell
Leon Russell
Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music....
, Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
, and Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
—as well as the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
. After becoming increasingly involved with illegal drug use, Driscoll became a Christian on Christmas Day in 1977. He then gave up using drugs, and dedicated his musical efforts to furthering the Christian faith.
In 1981, Driscoll recorded his first Christian album, "Ten Years After," sharing his new-found beliefs. In 1983, he released I Exalt Thee, winning a GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.
In the 1980s, Driscoll was affiliated with the ministry of Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland is an American author, public speaker, and televangelist. He is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which preaches a “prosperity gospel”: "Prosperity gospel assures followers that the more they give including in the form of tithes to the church, the more they will receive...
, playing and singing at many KCM Believers' Conventions. In the 1990s, he toured with "Handel's Young Messiah".
He has worked with top session musicians, such as Abraham Laboriel
Abraham Laboriel
Abraham Laboriel, Sr. is a Mexican bassist of Garifuna descent who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. Guitar Player Magazine described him as "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the father of drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and of producer, songwriter, and...
, Bill Maxwell, Justo Almario, and Greg Mathieson. Between 1999 and 2002, he recorded several albums that featured the organ playing of the late Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
. He has performed for several United States presidents, and has played at many national events including: the dedication ceremony for Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's presidential library in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, and the memorial services following the Columbine High School massacre
Columbine High School massacre
The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, near Denver and Littleton. Two senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, embarked on a massacre, killing 12...
.
Driscoll has recorded over two dozen albums in genres including gospel, classic rock, jazz, pop, patriotic, children's ("Gabe and the Good news Gang"), hymns, and classical music. Some of his more recent albums include Spirit of America (2000), Classic Hymns (2004), and Vintage (2004). The album Vintage included Driscoll's version of the rock classic single "Old Time Rock and Roll".
Tax Evasion and Conspiracy
In 2006, Phil Driscoll and his wife Lynne Driscoll were the subjects of a U.S. federal courtUnited States federal courts
The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
which charged that the Driscoll's had used their Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland is a city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,285 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bradley County...
-based Christian music ministry in an income-tax cheating
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
scheme, failing to report more than $1 million in income and evading the payment of more than $300,000 in taxes from 1996 to 2000. Also indicted was Lynne Driscoll’s mother, bookkeeper Chris Blankenship, who died just before the trial. It was testified that their ministry took in as much as $2.8 million annually, and according to the prosecution, Phil Driscoll owned an airplane, drove a Porsche, and used money funneled through Mighty Horn Ministries to buy and sell lake houses. Rick Blankenship, brother of Lynne Driscoll and former U.S. ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the Bahamas, testified on behalf of the prosecution that he had worked for Mighty Horn Ministries until he became concerned that “there was little or no differentiation between personal and ministry expenses." On June 8, 2006, Driscoll was found guilty on two counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy, and was sentenced to serve one year in federal prison, beginning on March 14, 2007. Lynn Driscoll was found not guilty on two out of three charges and the jury reached a deadlock
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
on a third charge of tax evasion. Prosecutors elected to not retry the case.
2008–present
Phil Driscoll is married to wife and partner, Lynne Driscoll. Phil has a son, Shawn Driscoll, by his previous marriage to Patti McDavitt. He and Lynne have two children: Jamie and Danielle. Phil had lived in Cleveland, Tennessee, since the early 1980s. He has moved to Eatonton, GeorgiaEatonton, Georgia
Eatonton is a city in Putnam County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,480. The city is the county seat of Putnam County. It was named after William Eaton, an officer and diplomat involved in the First Barbary War...
where he operates his Mighty Horn ministry. Driscoll is recording music in the fields of pop, gospel, country, classic rock, patriotic and classical under his own label, Phil Driscoll Music Group, including Songs in the Key of Worship and Here and Now, both released in 2008.
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart position | Record Label | Record Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Blowin' A New Mind | Word | ||
| 1972 | A Touch Of Trumpet | |||
| 1978 | Acclaimed and Framed | |||
| 1981 | Ten Years After | Sparrow Records | ||
| 1982 | Songs in the Spirit (Vol. 1 & 2) | |||
| 1982 | What Kind Of Love | |||
| 1982 | Sound The Trumpet | Sparrow | Phil Driscoll, Lari Goss | |
| 1983 | I Exalt Thee | 15 | ||
| 1983 | Covenant Children | 26 | Phil Driscoll, Lari Goss | |
| 1984 | Celebrate Freedom | 33 | ||
| 1985 | Power Of Praise | 12 | ||
| 1986 | Amazing Grace And Other Favorites | 23 | ||
| 1986 | The Spirit Of Christmas | JCI Associated | Driscoll, Goss, Ken Pennell | |
| 1986 | Instrument Of Praise | 7 | Word | |
| 1987 | Make Us One | 10 | Compose Records | Driscoll, Bill Maxwell |
| 1989: | Classic Hymns (Vol. 1 & 2) | Word | ||
| 1990 | Inner Man | 21 | JCI Associated | Phil Driscoll |
| 1990 | Gabe And The Good News Gang | Mighty Horn | ||
| 1992 | The Picture Changes | 28 | ||
| 1993 | Heaven And Nature Swing | 33 | Bill Maxwell, Ralph Carmichael Ralph Carmichael Ralph Carmichael is a composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music, being regarded as one of the pioneers of the latter genre... |
|
| 1994 | Warriors | 12 | Word | |
| 1995 | In His Presence | Most High Music | Phil Driscoll | |
| 1996 | A Different Man | Word/Epic | Chris Harris Chris Harris Chris Harris may refer to:* Chris Harris , English business author* Chris Harris , American football player* Chris Harris , Texas State Representative and State Senator... |
|
| 1997 | LIVE With Friends | Mighty Horn | Phil Driscoll | |
| 1997 | Live Praise & Worship | |||
| 1998 | Shine the Light | Phil Driscoll, Jimmy Johnson | ||
| 1999 | Simple Song | Phil Driscoll | ||
| 1999 | The Quiet | Bill Maxwell | ||
| 2000 | Selah (I & II) | |||
| 2000 | Plugged In | |||
| 2003 | One Nation Under God | |||
| 2006 | Drops Of Praise | Koch Records | Phil Driscoll, Jimmy Johnson | |
| 2008 | Songs in the Key of Worship | |||
| 2008 | Here and Now | Mighty Horn | ||
Compilations
- 2006: Vintage (Koch Records)
- 1981: 10 Years After (Sparrow)
- 1991: His Best (JCI Associated)
Video
- 198—: The Power of His Presence (Most High Music)
- 1987: The Spirit of Christmas - A Concert Celebration (Mighty Horn)
- 2001: Phil Driscoll Live at Eagle Mountain International Church (Phil Driscoll Ministries)
Grammy Award
- 1984: Best Gospel Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Keep The Flame Burning" with Debby BooneDebby BooneDeborah Anne Boone is an American singer and stage actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life," which spent a then record ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year...
GMA Dove Awards
- 1984: Instrumentalist of the Year
- 1985: Instrumentalist of the Year
- 1987: Instrumental Album of the Year for Instrument Of Praise