Michael Robert Phillips

Michael Robert Phillips (born March 18, 1937) is an American music, video and concert producer[1] who in 1978 produced and released the first digital recording in the US - A Tribute to Ethel Waters featuring Diahann Carroll and the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Mercer Ellington.


Early Life and Education

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Varena Hill Phillips and Louis Bernard Phillips who managed an office for Quaker City Life Insurance Company. He was raised on the west side of Philadelphia until he was eleven when he moved to Chicago with his parents when his father was transferred to manage a new office.

Phillips attended Hyde Park High School[2] in Chicago in 1952-1956 that had over 3600 students where he lettered in three sports – Track, Baseball and Basketball, and in 1954 Hyde Park took the Basketball City Championship. Hyde Park had a number of notable alumni who went on to fame and fortune such as Tonight Show Host Steve Allen[3], Hollywood Movie Producer Ben Manaster, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Mel Torme, R & B/Soul singer Minnie Riperton and the great Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock who performed in the school’s yearly Variety Show that was produced by Phillips.

Phillips attended the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. After a tour in the Army he returned to the U of I and while working on a research grant he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering in 1963. He began his MBA the following year at Roosevelt University in Chicago but did not finish as he was recruited to go to Phoenix to begin a new position as a Quality Control Engineer.

Military

After two years of ROTC at the University of Illinois, in 1958 Phillips enlisted in the Illinois National Guard as a Private. After completing basic training at Fort Leonard in Missouri he was shipped out to Fort Ord in California where he completed Advance Infantry Training receiving the Soldier of the Cycle Award. Upon serving in the ranks for a number of years Phillips was sent to OCS and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. After duty with the California National Guard to include commanding an Infantry Company, Phillips retired in 1978 with a rank of Major.

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References
  1. A Tribute to Ethel Waters - Diahann Carroll | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-08-03
  2. "Hyde Park Academy High School". hydeparkcps.org. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  3. "Steve Allen on The Tonight Show". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-08-05.

Orinda Records (https://www.orindarecords.com)

"Hyde Park Academy High School". hydeparkcps.org. Retrieved 2020-06-23. "Illinois National Guard - Home". www.il.ngb.army.mil. Retrieved 2020-06-23. Spire, Alex. "The Recording Academy Santa Monica Facility". Retrieved 2020-06-23.

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