Phil Upchurch, a renowned guitarist and composer who worked alongside music legends such as Quincy Jones, Donny Hathaway, Curtis Mayfield, and Michael Jackson, died on Nov. 23 in Los Angeles. He was 84.

Upchurch’s musical career

His wife, actor/singer Sonya Maddox-Upchurch, confirmed his death but didn’t provide additional information, such as the cause of death or the exact location where he died, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Throughout his career, Upchurch recorded nearly 30 albums and appeared on more than 1,000 recordings with some of the most prominent artists in the industry. His extensive musical resume includes singles like Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” which charted Billboard’s R&B chart for three weeks in 1978, and “Workin’ Day and Night,” from Jackson’s 1979 solo breakthrough, Off the Wall, according to Variety and the Los Angeles Times.

He also featured on Hathaway’s beloved holiday song “This Christmas,” the singer’s 1972 album, Live, and other works like George Benson’s 1976 album Breezin’, his single, “Six to Four,” and Curtis Mayfield’s soundtracks Superfly, Claudine, Let’s Do It Again and Sparkle, per the outlets.

Who was Phil Upchurch?

Upchurch was born on July 19, 1941, in Chicago and grew up with his father, a jazz pianist. He was first introduced to music at age 13 when his father gifted him a ukulele. By 16, he was playing professionally and credited jazz musicians Oscar Peterson and Jimmy Smith, who inspired him early in his career, per Variety and a 1996 interview with the Los Angeles Times, to which he referenced Smith’s albums as his “bibles.”

Upchurch served two years in the U.S. Army in the mid-1960s as a radio reporter in Germany, performing in the unit’s glee club. After returning to Chicago, he worked with jazz and blues artists including Ramsey Lewis, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, The Dells and Etta James, and released his first single, “You Can’t Sit Down (Parts 1 & 2),” in 1961.

In addition to being a well-known musician, Upchurch and his wife started a Christian Music Marriage Ministry, where “gifted young musicians realize their objective of studying music at a college of their choice through the Jimmy Smith Foundation, which Phil founded, partnered with The Jackie Robinson Foundation,” according to his website.

Upchurch was also an author, having published two books and working on an autobiography at the time of his death, per Variety.

Phil Upchurch

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