Phil Roy

Early musical career

Roy was born in Philadelphia and began playing the guitar at age nine. At age 17, attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and was discovered on Sunset Boulevard by Ted Templeman, a music executive from Warner Bros. who is also responsible for discovering Van Halen, Little Feat, and the Doobie Brothers. He was a member of two rock bands in Los Angeles, but neither was successful.

Songwriting

Roy decided to leave the recording industry to become a songwriter. For fifteen years, he worked for numerous publishers with Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, The Neville Brothers, and Pops Staples. He also contributed songs to the soundtracks for As Good as It Gets and Leaving Las Vegas.

In 2007, Wyclef Jean recorded Roy's "Show Me the Way Home" for a film produced and narrated by Matt Damon.

He was the winner of the 9th Annual Independent Music Awards, for Best Concept Album; In The Weird Small Hours.

Solo efforts

Roy moved back east after becoming disillusioned with the industry. In January 2000, Roy released his solo debut album entitled Grouchyfriendly. He released this album on his own Ear Pictures label and his song "Melt" won in The 2nd Annual Independent Music Awards for best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song. He was signed by OR Music after his first album performed well. In 2003, Roy released Issues + Options, his second solo album. Roy performed at the Lincoln Center to a sold-out crowd as part of the "America Songbook" series in January 2004.

In May 2008, Roy released his third album The Great Longing on the Decca Records/Universal Records label.

Culinary career

In 2004, Roy's record label terminated his contract and his marriage collapsed. In response to these setbacks, Roy began his "I'm Not Leaving the House" tour in November 2005. Operating out of his townhouse in Philadelphia with a table for sixteen, Roy provides home-cooked food and original songs for his diners on a monthly basis.

Discography

Filmography

Selected co-writers