Phil Upchurch, an iconic guitarist and session musician who collaborated with Donny Hathaway, Michael Jackson and countless other music legends, has died. He was 84.
Upchurch passed away on Nov. 23 in Los Angeles, according to his wife, Sonya Maddox-Upchurch. A cause of death was not revealed.
“Phil Upchurch was my personal gift from God, he was my best friend, my music partner, my life, and my hero,” she said in a statement. “Our love was supernatural, endless, timeless and as true as his favorite color blue. He was a master of chords and emotions. Anything that he placed his mind to complete — he did it. Well done my love. I love you more than words can say and the heart can hold.”
Over a remarkable career, Upchurch recorded nearly 30 albums and appeared on more than 1,000 recordings. Notable contributions include Chaka Khan’s 1978 hit “I’m Every Woman,” which topped Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for three weeks, and Jackson’s “Workin’ Day and Night,” from his 1979 solo album, Off the Wall.
Upchurch was also featured on all of Hathaway’s solo studio and live albums, as well as Curtis Mayfield’s soundtracks for the films Superfly, Claudine, Let’s Do It Again and Sparkle, the latter featuring Aretha Franklin.
He also performed or recorded with other music legends, including George Benson, Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, John Lee Hooker and Stan Getz.
Born on July 19, 1941, in Chicago, Upchurch began making music at a young age, starting with the ukulele at 13 before quickly mastering guitar, bass and drums. Influenced by jazz greats Oscar Peterson and Jimmy Smith, he began his professional career touring with the singing group the Spaniels after graduating high school in 1958. In 1961, he scored a hit under his own name with “You Can’t Sit Down.” Two years later, he was part of a studio band that backed Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) on the spoken-word/comedy album I Am the Greatest!
In the mid-1960s, Upchurch served two years in the U.S. Army in Germany. Upon returning, he became a regular session musician at Chicago’s Chess Records, collaborating with legends such as Ramsey Lewis, John Klemmer, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, the Dells and Etta James.
Beyond performing, Upchurch authored two instructional music books and completed an autobiography, which is set to be released posthumously.
