Michael Robert Phillips
MICHAEL ROBERT PHILLIPS[edit]
Born: March 18, 1937 Philadelphia, PA
Alma Mater: University of Illinois, BSGE
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Military: Major Infantry Retired
Children: 5 7 Grandchildren 4 Great Grandchildren
Music History Produced and released First Digital Recording in the U.S.
Michael Robert Phillips (born March 18, 1937) is an American music, video and concert producer who in 1978 produced and released the First Digital Recording in the U.S. - A Tribute to Ethel Waters featuring Diahann Carroll and the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Mercer Ellington.
Early Life and Education:[edit]
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Varena Hill Phillips and Louis Bernard Phillips who managed an office for Quaker City Life Insurance Company. He was raised on the west side of Philadelphia until he was eleven when he moved to Chicago with his parents when his father was transferred to manage a new office.
Phillips attended Hyde Park High School in Chicago in 1952-1956[1] (1) that had over 3600 students where he lettered in three sports – Track, Baseball and Basketball, and in 1954 Hyde Park took the Basketball City Championship. Hyde Park had a number of notable alumni who went on to fame and fortune such as Tonight Show Host Steve Allen, Hollywood Movie Producer Ben Manaster, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Mel Torme, R & B/Soul singer Minnie Riperton and the great Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock who performed in the school’s yearly Variety Show that was produced by Phillips.
Phillips attended the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. After a tour in the Army he returned to the U of I and while working on a research grant he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering in 1963. He began his MBA the following year at Roosevelt University in Chicago but did not finish as he was recruited to go to Phoenix to begin a new position as a Quality Control Engineer.
Military[edit]
After two years of ROTC at the University of Illinois[2], in 1958 Phillips enlisted in the Illinois National Guard[3] as a Private. After completing basic training at Fort Leonard in Missouri he was shipped out to Fort Ord[4] in California where he completed Advance Infantry Training receiving the Soldier of the Cycle Award. Upon serving in the ranks for a number of years Phillips was sent to OCS and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. After duty with the California National Guard to include commanding an Infantry Company, Phillips retired in 1978 with a rank of Major.
Personal Life[edit]
Married and divorced twice Phillips has 5 children, 8 Grandchildren and 4 Great Grandchildren.
Music/Entertainment Career[edit]
Phillips began his career in the recording industry in 1975 as a record executive and producer. Co-founder of Crystal Clear Records in San Francisco, this direct-to-disc record company revived the art of live recordings being transferred directly onto the master capturing the actual sound of a live performance.
In 1977 Phillips started Orinda Records in Orinda, California. The following year he was GRAMMY nominated as a producer in the category of Best Engineered Recording for A TRIBUTE TO ETHEL WATERS featuring Diahann Carroll and the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Mercer Ellington which was the FIRST DIGITAL RECORDING RELEASED IN THE U.S.[5]
Phillips produced over 30 albums in the Jazz, Pop and Classical fields and has lent his services to a number of live performances, shows, concerts and videos. Although his first love is being a producer, he has added strength which is maintaining strong P&Ls, developing logical business/promotion plans and maximizing ROIs, a trait that artists embrace.
Special Note: As part of the fun side of his personality, Phillips liked to bring up to the residents of Orinda how the town was named after his recording company (i.e., which it wasn’t). Needless to say, reactions were mixed, sometimes downright mean – smile!
REFERENCES[edit]
1. Hyde Park High School- Hyde Park Academy High- located at 6220 Stony Island Ave., Chicago, IL school records between 1952-1956. Enrollment records and Wikipedia info for Hyde Park Academy High.[1]
2. 201 Files of the United States Army - Illinois National Guard – Arizona National Guard – California National Guard.[3]
3. The Recording Academy, 3030 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA GRAMMY nominations/membership records.[5]
EXTERNAL LINKS
Orinda Records (https://www.orindarecords.com)
added citations[edit]
This article "Michael Robert Phillips" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Michael Robert Phillips. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Hyde Park Academy High School". hydeparkcps.org. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
- ↑ "Home | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign". illinois.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Illinois National Guard - Home". www.il.ngb.army.mil. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
- ↑ "Historic California Posts: Fort Ord". www.militarymuseum.org. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Spire, Alex. "The Recording Academy Santa Monica Facility". Retrieved 2020-06-23.
