Bio
Neal Phillips is a Philadelphia-area singer/songwriter with a dry sense of humor and a flair for intelligent, evocative lyrics and melodies. His thought-provoking and often pointedly funny songs have been performed by Bob Zentz, Holly & Glenn Yarbrough, Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen, and Pete Seeger, among others. His writing touches on matters both profound and mundane, from the global significance of stackable chairs to the life and times of Roy G Biv; from the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay to the devil's squeaky shoes in a Baltimore alley; from Claude Debussy & Claude Monet dancing in the moonlight to the quiet joys of walking home on a snowy midwinters' evening. Neal's songs have won several awards including the Mid-Atlantic songwriting contest and have been played on The Midnight Special, The Folk Sampler, Traditions, and other syndicated radio programs.
While living in southwest Virginia about 15 years ago, Neal met up with fellow "farsighted aging folkies" Greg Trafidlo & Laura Pole and formed Trifolkal. The trio has since shared the stage with prominent folk artists such as John McCutcheon, Robin & Linda Williams, Cheryl Wheeler, John Hartford, Mark O'Connor, John Prine, Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen. Neal plays acoustic guitar, bass, bouzouki, and keyboards and sings lead and harmony vocals. He has co-produced all of Trifolkal's albums and recorded instrumental and vocal tracks for several other folk artists.
As a songwriting team, Neal and Greg have enjoyed
rewriting the lyrics of famous songs to humorous effect. “In the White House Now” pokes fun at
you-know-who and was performed around the country by Steve Gillette & Cindy
Mangsen during the last election cycle.
“The Starbucks of County Down,” a parody of a famous Irish tune, was
featured on Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes.
"The Tumbler" (a takeoff of “The Gambler”), appeared in Sing
Out! Magazine and has been a favorite of Bob Zentz and other folkies for years.
On the serious side, "One Small Thing" was recorded by Glenn and
Holly Yarbrough for their Family Portrait CD (Folk Era Records). And Neal and Greg co-wrote “Oh Freedom/Mississippi Summer '64” which was
recorded by Trifolkal on "Freedom is a Constant Struggle" (Folk Era Records), joining folk luminaries such as Bob Dylan, Peter,
Paul & Mary, Si Kahn, Judy Collins, and Tom Paxton.
Neal has recently finished his third and fourth solo CDs, “Still Life” and “Clair de Loon.”