I didn’t know Roy Phillips had died. Obviously, I learned of the passing of Brian Wilson, Sly Stone, Garth Hudson, David Johansen (no relation, unfortunately) and Rick Derringer, all in the early months of 2025, with varying degrees of sadness. They were all part of my musical education and part of my record collection for over 50 years. I don’t own a single record by Roy Phillips, but maybe I should, specifically the ones he made with his group The Peddlers, who he led as keyboard player and lead singer from 1964 to 1976.
I was going to say that this blog was very much one for the teenagers in my typically ironical style, since no one under the age of 50 is likely to have heard of Phillips and his Peddlers, but I suspect that even my more mature reader will be mouthing the word, ‘Who?’
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, TV was noted for light entertainment and variety shows, usually with musical guests; some famous, some not. The Peddlers were not particularly famous, but as you can see from this clip from a show hosted by legendary comedian Les Dawson and this one by the singer and whistler (seriously) Roger Whittaker, they were everywhere. Clearly, their jazz/soul fusion did not translate into stellar success, but they were highly respected in the business. Top of the range musicians, led by a fine lead singer with a smokey soul voice, Roy Phillips, I loved them at a time when I really should have been listening to more age appropriate music.
Maybe the problems were names? The Peddlers is a dull old name for a band and Roy Phillips was either a long-serving lower league centre half with a record number of appearances or the owner of a local garage. Roy wasn’t Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles or Little Richard, but neither were they. Perhaps, for Roy Phillips it was all about the music?
You can search YouTube and find a decent selection of work by the Peddlers but there is one song that stands out. In 1965, Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner wrote On A Clear Day which was then recorded by some of the great singers of them all, like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr and many more. In my humble opinion, none comes close to The Peddlers cover. For me, it’s sheer greatness, not far short of the standard of Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman.
That’s how good Roy Phillips was, one of the greatest singers you never heard. RIP.
