Bruce “Utah” Phillips, “folksinger, storyteller and railroad bum”, died this weekend at the age of 73. Mr. Phillips had been considered for a heart transplant earlier this year, but decided against it at the advice of his family and physician.

I first heard about Utah Phillips when he collaborated with singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco on a CD several years ago. He was an amazing storyteller who lived an extraordinary life, and loved to talk about it and the people he met along the way. He had recently started a podcast, telling stories and talking about the way things were in the past – and increasingly, how they were starting to be in the present. It was like listening to your dad or grandfather tell stories after dinner. I loved it. Given the circumstances, I’d prefer not to link to that today; I hope you understand.

Mr. Phillips did have a blog, which has been thoughtfully updated by his family over the past few days. The last entry he wrote himself is here. Even when he was so sick, it still has a lot of his sense of humor and real brilliance as a writer.

The world will be a quieter, sadder place without him. Our deepest condolences to his family.

Tags: folk music, obituary, U. Utah Phillips

Posted in Music News
2 Comments Posted by spyderkl