Phil Upchurch

Phil Upchurch (born 19 July 1941, Chicago, Illinois) is an American jazz and R&B guitarist and bassist.

Upchurch started his career working with The Kool Gents, The Dells, and The Spaniels before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush and Jimmy Reed. He then returned to Chicago to play and record with Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Groove Holmes, B.B. King, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1961, when billed as the Philip Upchurch Combo, his recording of "You Can't Sit Down" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. In the 60's he toured with Oscar Brown, appearing on the 1965 live album, Mr. Oscar Brown, Jr. Goes to Washington. Returning from the Army in 1967, he recorded with Richard Evans, John Lee Hooker, Grover Washington, Jr. and Cannonball Adderley. Upchurch was part of a group called The Soulful Strings during the 1960s, prior to working with Rotary Connection on Chess's Cadet label.

In the 1970s he worked with Ramsey Lewis, Quincy Jones and led his own quartet with Tennyson Stephens. In the mid 1970s and 1980s, he performed with George Benson, Mose Allison, Gary Burton, Lenny Breau, Joe Williams, Natalie Cole, Carmen McRae, Cat Stevens and Michael Jackson.

In the 1990s he worked with Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff.

His son is the drummer, Sean Rickman.

His wife, his 7th, is actress Sonya Maddox.

As leader

 * You Can't Sit Down (Boyd 1961)
 * You Can't Sit Down, Part Two (United Artists 1961)
 * Twist the Big Hit Dances (United Artists 1961)
 * Feeling Blue (Milestone 1968)
 * Upchurch (Cadet Concept 1968)
 * The Way I Feel (Cadet Concept 1969)
 * Darkness, Darkness (Blue Thumb 1972)
 * Lovin' Feeling (Blue Thumb 1973)
 * Upchurch Tennyson (Kudu 1975)
 * Phil Upchurch (1978)
 * Revelation (Jam 1982)
 * Name of the Game (Jam 1983)
 * Companions (Paladin 1985)
 * L.A. Jazz Quintet (Pro Arte 1986)
 * All I Want (Ichiban 1991)
 * Love Is Strange (Go Jazz 1995)
 * Whatever Happened to the Blues? (Ridgetop/Bean 1997)
 * Rhapsody & Blues (Go Jazz 1999)
 * Tell the Truth! (Evidence 2001) produced by Carla Olson

As sideman
With George Benson With Dizzy Gillespie With Hubert Laws With Ramsey Lewis With Jack McDuff
 * Good King Bad (CTI, 1975)
 * Breezin' (Warner Bros., 1976)
 * The Real Thing (Perception, 1969)
 * The Chicago Theme (CTI, 1974)
 * Them Changes (Cadet, 1970)
 * The Natural Thing (Cadet, 1968)
 * The Heatin' System (Cadet, 1971)
 * Magnetic Feel (Cadet, 1975)