Simon Phillips (drummer)

English drummer (born 1957)

For other people with the same name, see Simon Phillips (disambiguation).

Simon Phillips

Phillips in 2017

Background information
Born|  (1957-02-06) 6 February 1957 (age 68)
London, England
Genres|

* Jazz fusion
* rock
* heavy metal[1]

Occupations|

* Musician
* record producer

Instruments|

* Drums
* percussion

Years active| 1969–present
Formerly of|

* Toto
* Judas Priest
* The Who
* 801
* Ph.D.
* RMS

Website| simon-phillips.com

Musical artist

Simon Phillips (born 6 February 1957) is an English jazz fusion and rock drummer,[2] songwriter, and record producer, based in the United States. He worked with rock bands during the 1970s and 1980s, and was the drummer for the band Toto from 1992 to 2014.

Phillips worked as a session drummer for Phil Manzanera's 801, Jeff Beck, Big Country, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Bernie Marsden, Jon Lord, Nik Kershaw, Mike Oldfield, Judas Priest, Mike Rutherford, Tears for Fears, 10cc, the Chemical Brothers,[3] Pete Townshend, and the Who. He was the drummer for the Who during the band's American reunion tour in 1989.

## Career

[edit]

Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in a Dixieland band led by his father, Sid Phillips, for four years.[2] After his father's death, he started playing pop and rock and found work in a production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar.[2] He worked as a session musician for cast members, and this led to other session work.[2] Beginning in the 1970s, he worked with Jeff Beck, Gil Evans, Stanley Clarke, Peter Gabriel, Pete Townshend, and Frank Zappa;[2] he was the drummer in the Phil Manzanera and Brian Eno supergroup 801 on their 1976 album 801 Live.

Phillips replaced Judas Priest drummer Alan Moore to record on the band's Sin After Sin album (1977), and on that album, Phillips introduced the combination of the double bass drumming that would come to define heavy metal in later years, particularly the thrash metal sub-genre which emerged in the 1980s.[4] The track "Dissident Aggressor" was an early example of the tempo and aggression which would soon become synonymous with the new wave of British heavy metal.[5] Author Andrew L. Cope has described Sin After Sin as a key album in the development of heavy metal technique, in particular for its use of double kick drumming.[6]

Phillips played on guitarist Michael Schenker's 1980 debut album The Michael Schenker Group, as well as the solo album for Genesis bassist Mike Rutherford, Smallcreep's Day. In the early 1980s, Phillips formed part of RMS with session musicians Mo Foster and Ray Russell. In 1981, Phillips formed Ph.D. with Jim Diamond and Tony Hymas. The new wave outfit released two albums and five singles, including "Little Suzi's on the Up" and "I Won't Let You Down", before splitting up in 1983.

Phillips was the drummer for the Who on their 1989 American reunion tour and appeared on solo recordings by band members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend.

Also in 1989, he recorded his debut album Protocol, for which he played all instruments.[2] Wanting to make bigger changes in his music career, Phillips decided to move to Los Angeles in 1990. In 2000 he recorded a jazz album, Vantage Point, with trumpeter Walt Fowler, saxophonist Brandon Fields, and pianist Jeff Babko.[2] Phillips also made an uncredited contribution on electronic duo the Chemical Brothers' 1997 break-out hit Dig Your Own Hole, drumming on the song "Elektrobank".[3]

### Toto

[edit]

In 1992, Phillips had recently completed the recording of an album in England when he was invited by Toto to fill in for Jeff Porcaro after the latter died following the completion of the recording of Kingdom of Desire.[7] Phillips became the band's only choice to replace Jeff for two reasons: Jeff himself viewed Simon as one of his most favorite drummers (the others being Gregg Bissonnette and Vinnie Colaiuta), and that he toured with Steve Lukather and Carlos Santana on their solo tours. Phillips decided to settle permanently in Los Angeles and began rehearsals with the band. After the Kingdom of Desire tour, Phillips officially joined Toto.

As the band began its 1995 Tambu tour, Phillips suffered from back problems and was unable to play on the first leg of the said tour; the band turned to Gregg Bissonette to substitute for him. When Phillips fell ill prior to the 2004 Night of the Proms concert, Bissonette was unavailable to take over his drumming duties, causing the band to invite Ricky Lawson instead.

Phillips' last show with Toto was in 2013. He left the following year to focus on his solo career and was replaced by Keith Carlock.[8]

### Hiromi Trio Project

[edit]

After leaving Toto, Phillips became a member of Hiromi Uehara's Trio Project along with bassist Anthony Jackson.[9] The Trio Project made four albums together: Voice (2011), Move (2012), Alive (2014), and Spark (2016). The albums Move and Alive reached the top 10 on the Billboard Jazz Album charts, with Spark hitting the number one position.[10] From 2011-2016, Phillips toured extensively with the Hiromi Trio Project.[11]

### Other ventures

[edit]

Phillips has worked with Big Country, Jack Bruce, David Gilmour, Big Jim Sullivan, and Whitesnake.[12] Phillips was one of two drummers to play on Pata's self-titled album, the other being Tommy Aldridge.[13]

In 1997, Phillips appeared as a bandleader, performing at the North Sea Jazz Festival.[14] In 2009, Phillips joined with keyboardist Philippe Saisse and bassist Pino Palladino in forming an instrumental jazz/funk rock trio: Phillips Saisse Palladino, PSP, which toured in Europe in 2009 and 2010. Phillips also performed on Joe Satriani's album Super Colossal, appearing on multiple tracks. Phillips appears in Alan Parsons' Art & Science of Sound Recording educational video series, as well as the program's single "All Our Yesterdays". He played in the Michael Schenker Group album In the Midst of Beauty and took part to the band's 30th Anniversary world tour in 2010.

Phillips playing with PSP in Rome, 2009

Phillips has co-produced and engineered albums by Mike Oldfield, Derek Sherinian, and Toto.[7] In 2018 Phillips was featured on the album Origin of Species. In addition to playing drums and keyboards, he engineered, mixed, and was a co-producer.[15]

## Influences

[edit]

Phillips cited Buddy Rich, Grady Tate, Louie Bellson, Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd, Ian Paice, Tommy Aldridge, and Bernard Purdie as his main influences.[16]

## Awards and honours

[edit]

Phillips playing at Leverkusener Jazztage 2019

* In 2003 Phillips was inducted into the Modern Drummer magazine Hall of Fame.[17]
* In 2015 at the 14th Annual Independent Music Awards, Phillips was the winner in the Jazz Instrumental Album category for Protocol II.
* In 2019 Phillips was voted #1 in the Fusion category of the annual Modern Drummer Readers Poll.
* In 2019 the Protocol 4 album was nominated for a GRAMMY Award in the Contemporary Instrumental Album category.

## Partial discography

[edit]

### As leader

[edit]

* Two Generations, Sid Phillips and his Band & The Simon Sound (Contour, 1972)
* Protocol (Food for Thought, 1988)
* Simon Phillips (Manhattan, 1992)
* Force Majeure with Ray Russell, Anthony Jackson, Tony Roberts (B&W, 1993) - live album
* Symbiosis (Lipstick, 1995)
* Another Lifetime (Lipstick, 1997)
* Out of the Blue (Victor, 1999) - live album
* Vantage Point with Jeff Babko (Jazzline, 2000)
* Protocol II with Andy Timmons, Steve Weingart, Ernest Tibbs (Phantom, 2013)
* Protocol III with Andy Timmons, Steve Weingart, Ernest Tibbs (In-akustik, 2015)
* Protocol 4 with Greg Howe, Dennis Hamm, Ernest Tibbs (Phantom, 2017)
* Protocol V with Otmaro Ruiz, Alex Sill, Jacob Scesney, Ernest Tibbs (Phantom, 2022)

### As sideman

[edit]

With Duncan Browne

* The Wild Places (1978)
* Streets Of Fire (1979)

With Asia

* Aqua (1992)
* Aura (2001)

With Big Country

* The Buffalo Skinners (Big Country album) (1993)

With DarWin

* Origin Of Species (2018)
* DarWin 2: A Frozen War (2020)
* DarWin 3: Unplugged (2021)
* Five Steps On The Sun (2024)

With Camel

* The Single Factor (Gama/Decca, 1982)

With The Chemical Brothers

* Dig Your Own Hole (Virgin, 1997, "Elektrobank")

With Derek Sherinian

* Inertia (Inside Out, 2001)
* Black Utopia (J.S.H.P., 2003)
* Mythology (Inside Out, 2004)
* Blood of the Snake (Inside Out, 2006)
* Oceana (Music Theories, 2011)
* The Phoenix (Inside Out, 2020)
* Vortex (Inside Out, 2022)

With Gary Moore

* Back on the Streets (1978)
* After the War (1989)

With Gordon Giltrap

* Visionary (The Electric Record Company, catalogue no. TRIX 2) (1976)
* Perilous Journey (The Electric Record Company, catalogue no. TRIX 4) (1977)
* Fear of the Dark (The Electric Record Company) (1978)

With 801

* 801 Live (1976)
* Listen Now (1977)
* Live @ Hull (2009)
* Latino (2013)
* Manchester (2015)

With Hiromi

* Voice (Telarc, 2011)
* Move (Telarc, 2012)
* Alive (Telarc, 2014)
* Move: Live in Tokyo (Telarc, 2014)
* Spark (Telarc, 2016)

With Jeff Beck

* There & Back (Epic, 1980)

With Jack Bruce

* How's Tricks (RSO, 1977)
* Cities of the Heart (CMP, 1994)
* Jet Set Jewel (Polydor, 2003)

With Joe Satriani

* Flying in a Blue Dream (Relativity, 1989)
* The Extremist (Relativity, 1992)
* Time Machine (Relativity, 1993)
* Super Colossal (Epic, 2006)

With Jon Anderson

* Song of Seven (Atlantic, 1980)
* Animation (Polydor, 1982)

With Jon Lord

* Before I Forget (Harvest, 1982)

With Judas Priest

* Sin After Sin (CBS, Inc. (UK)), (Columbia (US)) (1977)

With Karmakanic

* Transmutation (Reingold Records, 2025)

With L. Shankar

* Touch Me There (Produced by Frank Zappa) (1979)

With Michael Schenker

* The Michael Schenker Group (Chrysalis, 1980)
* The 30th Anniversary Concert – Live in Tokyo (In-akustik, 2010)
* In the Midst of Beauty (In-akustik, 2008)
* Temple of Rock (In-akustik, 2011)

With Mike Oldfield

* Crises (Virgin, 1983)
* Discovery (Virgin, 1984)
* Islands (Virgin, 1987)
* Heaven's Open (Virgin, 1991)

With Nik Kershaw

* Radio Musicola (MCA, 1986)
* You've Got to Laugh (Short House Records, 2006)

With Metro

* Metro (TRAG, 1976)

With Pete Townshend

* Empty Glass (ATCO, 1980)
* All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (ATCO, 1982)
* White City: A Novel (ATCO, 1985)
* The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend (Virgin, 1989)

With Ph.D.

* PhD (Atlantic, 1981)
* Is It Safe? (WEA, 1983)
* Three (Voiceprint, 2009)

With Stanley Clarke

* Rocks, Pebbles and Sand (Epic 1980)

With Steve Hackett

* Beyond the Shrouded Horizon (WHD 2011)
* At the Edge of Light (2019)

With Mike Rutherford

* Smallcreep's Day (Charisma Records, 1980)

With Madness (band)

* The Madness (Virgin, 1988)

With Steve Lukather

* Candyman (Columbia, 1994)
* Santamental (Favored Nations, 2005)
* Bridges (The Players Club, 2023)

With Toto

* Absolutely Live (Columbia, 1993)
* Tambu (Columbia, 1995)
* Toto XX (1998)
* Mindfields (Columbia, 1999)
* Livefields (Columbia, 1999)
* Through the Looking Glass (EMI, 2002)
* Live in Amsterdam (Eagle, 2002)
* Falling in Between (Frontiers, 2006)
* Falling in Between Live (2007)
* Live in Poland (Eagle, 2014)

With Toyah

* The Changeling (1982)
* Warrior Rock: Toyah on Tour (1982)

With Trevor Rabin

* Wolf (Chrysalis, 1981)

With The Who

* Join Together (Virgin, 1990)
* Thirty Years of Maximum R&B (Polydor, 1994)

With Intelligent Music Project

* My Kind o' Lovin' (2014)
* Touching the Divine (2015)
* Sorcery Inside (2018)
* Life Motion (2020)

With Kings of Mercia

* Kings of Mercia (2022)

With Dewa 19

* "Love Is Blind" (Indonesia, 2023)

## See also

[edit]

* List of drummers

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Loncaric, Denis (1 December 2022). "Simon Phillips Drummer - Biography". DRUM!. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
2. ^ a b c d e f g Phares, Heather. "Simon Phillips". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
3. ^ a b "Chemical Brothers' Dig Your Own Hole Turns 20". Stereogum. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
4. ^ Cope, Andrew L. (2013). Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music. Ashgate Publishing Limited. pp. 102–103.
5. ^ Cope, Andrew L. (2013). Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music. Ashgate Publishing Limited. p. 103.
6. ^ Cope, Andrew L. (2013). Black Sabbath and the Rise of Heavy Metal Music. Ashgate Publishing Limited. p. 102.
7. ^ a b "Simon Phillips". www.drummerworld.com. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
8. ^ Giles, Jeff (17 January 2014). "Toto Announce New Album and Tour". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
9. ^ Haid, Mike. "Simon Phillips". Modern Drummer Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
10. ^ "Hiromi | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
11. ^ "Hiromi: The Trio Project feat. Anthony Jackson & Simon Phillips". Blue Note Jazz Festival. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
12. ^ Thodoris, Arno (16 August 2014). "Interview:Simon Phillips". Hit Channel. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
13. ^ Pata (2024). Pata: Yopparai no Kaikoroku. Rittor Music. p. 142\. ISBN 978-4-8456-3968-7.
14. ^ "| NN North Sea Jazz Festival". www.northseajazz.com. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
15. ^ "DarWin Releases Debut Concept Album "Origin Of Species" Internationally Featuring Drum Legend Simon Phillips". Music News Net. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
16. ^ Marinescu, Patricia; Bâscă, Dragoş (2016). "Interview – Simon Phillips: I have a distinctive sound". Twin Arts. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
17. ^ "Modern Drummer's Readers Poll Archive, 1979–2014". Modern Drummer. Retrieved 10 August 2015.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Simon Phillips.

* Official site
* Simon Phillips at AllMusic
* Simon Phillips discography at Discogs
* Simon Phillips at IMDb
* Simon Phillips Chronology & Releasography Site
* "Reggie Boyle talking with Simon Phillips". stevelukather.com. 24 February 2009.
* "Reggie Boyle talking with Simon Phillips..." stevelukather.com. 18 June 2012.

Simon Phillips bands & collaborations

* v
* t
* e

Michael Schenker Group

* Michael Schenker
* Steve Mann
* Bodo Schopf
* Barend Courbois
* Erik Grönwall

* Raymond Louis Kennedy
* Leif Sundin
* David VanLanding
* Kelly Keeling
* Graham Bonnet
* Don Airey
* Paul Raymond
* Tommy Eyre
* Andy Nye
* Jesse Harms
* Derek St. Holmes
* Billy Sheehan
* Mo Foster
* Jeff Pilson
* Jeff Kollman
* Stuart Hamm
* Pete Way
* Neil Murray
* Francis Buchholz
* Chris Glen
* Denny Carmassi
* Cozy Powell
* Simon Phillips
* Ted McKenna
* James Kottak
* Shane Gaalaas
* Jeff Martin
* Chris Slade
* Carmine Appice
* Brian Tichy
* Herman Rarebell
* Gary Barden
* Robin McAuley
* Doogie White
* Barry Sparks

Studio albums|

* The Michael Schenker Group (1980)
* MSG (1981)
* Assault Attack (1982)
* Built to Destroy (1983)
* Written in the Sand (1996)
* The Unforgiven (1999)
* Be Aware of Scorpions (2001)
* Arachnophobiac (2003)
* Tales of Rock'n'Roll (2006)
* In the Midst of Beauty (2008)

Live albums|

* One Night at Budokan (1982)
* Rock Will Never Die (1984)
* The Michael Schenker Story Live (1997)
* The Unforgiven World Tour (1999)
* The 30th Anniversary Concert: Live in Tokyo (2010)

Cover albums|

* Heavy Hitters (2005)

Related|

* Members
* Discography

* v
* t
* e

Toto

* Steve Lukather
* Joseph Williams
* David Paich
* Greg Phillinganes

* Steve Porcaro
* David Hungate
* Bobby Kimball
* Jeff Porcaro
* Mike Porcaro
* Fergie Frederiksen
* Jean-Michel Byron
* Simon Phillips
* Keith Carlock

Studio albums|

* Toto
* Hydra
* Turn Back
* Toto IV
* Isolation
* Fahrenheit
* The Seventh One
* Kingdom of Desire
* Tambu
* Mindfields
* Through the Looking Glass
* Falling in Between
* Toto XIV
* Old Is New

Live albums|

* Absolutely Live
* Livefields
* Live in Amsterdam
* Falling in Between Live

Compilation albums|

* Past to Present 1977–1990
* Best Ballads
* Toto XX
* The Essential Toto
* 40 Trips Around the Sun

Soundtracks|

* Dune

Notable songs|

* "Hold the Line"
* "I'll Supply the Love"
* "Georgy Porgy"
* "99"
* "Live for Today"
* "Rosanna"
* "Make Believe"
* "Africa"
* "I Won't Hold You Back"
* "Waiting for Your Love"
* "Stranger in Town"
* "I'll Be Over You"
* "Stop Loving You"
* "Pamela"
* "I Will Remember"
* "Bottom of Your Soul"
* "Holy War"

Related people|

* Lenny Castro
* Warren Ham
* Nathan East
* Boz Scaggs
* Tony Spinner
* Leland Sklar
* Shannon Forrest

Related articles|

* Discography
* Members

* v
* t
* e

The Who

* Roger Daltrey
* Pete Townshend

* John Entwistle
* Keith Moon
* Kenney Jones
* Doug Sandom

Studio albums|

* My Generation / The Who Sings My Generation
* A Quick One / Happy Jack
* The Who Sell Out
* Tommy
* Who's Next
* Quadrophenia
* The Who by Numbers
* Who Are You
* Face Dances
* It's Hard
* Endless Wire
* Who

Live albums|

* Live at Leeds
* Who's Last
* Join Together
* Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
* BBC Sessions
* Blues to the Bush
* Live at the Royal Albert Hall
* Live from Toronto
* View from a Backstage Pass
* Greatest Hits Live
* Live at Hull 1970
* Quadrophenia Live in London
* Live at the Fillmore East 1968

Soundtrack albums|

* Tommy
* The Kids Are Alright
* Quadrophenia
* Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who

Compilation albums|

* Magic Bus: The Who on Tour
* Direct Hits
* Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy
* Odds & Sods
* The Story of The Who
* Phases
* Hooligans
* Who's Greatest Hits
* Rarities Volume I & Volume II
* The Singles
* The Who Collection
* Who's Missing
* Two's Missing
* Who's Better, Who's Best
* Thirty Years of Maximum R&B
* My Generation: The Very Best of The Who
* 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection
* Encore Series
* The Ultimate Collection
* Then and Now
* The 1st Singles Box
* Greatest Hits
* The Who Hits 50!

Extended plays|

* Ready Steady Who
* Won't Get Fooled Again
* Wire & Glass

Filmography|

* Tommy
* The Kids Are Alright
* Quadrophenia
* Who's Better, Who's Best
* Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live
* Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970
* The Who & Special Guests: Live at the Royal Albert Hall
* The Who Special Edition EP
* Live in Boston
* Tommy and Quadrophenia Live
* The Vegas Job
* Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who
* The Who at Kilburn: 1977
* Quadrophenia Live in London
* Lambert & Stamp

Discographies|

* The Who
* Roger Daltrey
* Pete Townshend
* John Entwistle
* Keith Moon

Tours and
performances|

* 1962–1963 performances
* Tommy Tour
* The Who by Numbers Tour
* 1979 tour (1979 Cincinnati human crush)
* 1980 tour
* 2000 tour
* 2001 The Concert for New York City appearance
* 2003 The 46664 Concert appearance
* 2006–2007 tour
* Quadrophenia and More
* The Who Hits 50!
* Back to the Who Tour 51!
* 2017 Tommy & More
* Moving On! Tour

Musicians|

* Mitch Mitchell
* Julian Covey
* Chris Townson
* Scot Halpin
* John "Rabbit" Bundrick
* Tim Gorman
* Steve "Boltz" Bolton
* Simon Phillips
* Jon Carin
* Steve White
* Brian Kehew
* J. J. Blair
* Danny Thompson
* Simon Townshend
* Jon Button
* Loren Gold
* Frank Simes
* Pino Palladino
* Reggie Grisham
* Morgan Nicholls
* Chris Stainton
* Scott Devours
* Zak Starkey

Associated places|

* Ashdown House, Oxfordshire
* Chapel House, Twickenham
* Holmshurst Manor
* Quarwood
* Ramport Studios
* Shepperton Studios
* Tara, Chertsey
* The Wick

Related|

* Songs
* Awards and nominations
* Band members
* Musical equipment
* The Boy Who Heard Music
* Lifehouse
* The Who's Tommy
* Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock!
* The Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard
* Who Covers Who?
* "A Tale of Two Springfields"
* "In Concert"
* Double O
* The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
* No Plan B
* Kim McLagan
* Richard Barnes
* Dougal Butler
* Chris Charlesworth
* Kit Lambert
* Chris Stamp
* Bill Curbishley
* Track Records
* Shel Talmy

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Toyah

* Joel Bogen
* Toyah Willcox

* David Robin
* John Phillips
* Carrie Kotzberg
* Raja Curry
* Tony Ollman
* Peter Bushs
* John Windy Miller
* Mark Henry
* Steve Bray
* Charlie Francis
* Phil Spalding
* Nigel Glockler
* Adrian Lee
* Miffy Smith
* Simon Phillips
* Keith Hale
* Simon Darlow
* Chris Blackwell
* Andy Duncan
* Brad Lang

Studio albums|

* Sheep Farming in Barnet
* The Blue Meaning
* Anthem
* The Changeling
* Love Is the Law

EPs|

* Sheep Farming in Barnet
* Four from Toyah
* Four More from Toyah

Live albums|

* Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!
* Warrior Rock: Toyah on Tour

Compilation albums|

* Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! All the Hits
* Mayhem

Singles|

* "Victims of the Riddle"
* "Bird in Flight"
* "Ieya"
* "Danced"
* "It's a Mystery"
* "I Want to Be Free"
* "Thunder in the Mountains"
* "Brave New World"
* "Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)"
* "Rebel Run"
* "The Vow"

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Czech Republic
* Korea
* Poland

Artists|

* MusicBrainz
* Grammy Awards

Other|

* Yale LUX

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