Phil Roy

Artist Description

"The music of Phil Roy accomplishes a delicate emotional surgery that countless troubadours have tried but few have been able to carry off. In the most direct language and without irony, [Roy] describes personal experiences of love, loss and spiritual revelation with a naked honesty untainted by narcissism." -Stephen Holden, New York Times

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Phil Roy began his journey towards a life in music at the age of 17 when he attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Upon leaving, Roy moved to Los Angeles in 1981, and that same year was discovered in classic Hollywood fashion on Sunset Boulevard by Warner Bros. music executive Ted Templeman (whose other "finds" included Van Halen, Little Feat and the Doobie Brothers). As a member of two rock bands in LA, both of which were signed and eventually never heard of again (laughs Phil Roy), he quickly learned the fickle world of the recording business and eventually turned to honing his craft as a songwriter. Settling into life in LA, Roy worked for several publishers over a 15-year period, with a cavalcade of music greats such as Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, The Neville Brothers, Pops Staples, and a decade later his daughter Mavis, recording his songs. His lyrics also graced the big screen, with several songs gaining attention on soundtracks for Oscar-winning films such as "As Good As It Gets" and "Leaving Las Vegas." Most recently, in 2007, Grammy-winning artist Wyclef Jean recorded Roy's song "Show Me the Way Home" for a Matt Damon-produced and narrated film to be released in 2008.