Growing up with a family on the move and using this experience as inspiration, Shawn Phillips came to appreciate and absorb all kinds of different styles of music. His particular style of music shifted over the decades from folk-rock to new age-progressive, incorporating elements of jazz and classical. He began performing in the early 1960's and soon moved from regular six-string guitars to double-necked and 12-string guitars, as well as the Indian sitar, which he is credited with making popular in the '60s music scene. Phillips sings in a three-octave range and performs solo as well as with a 50-piece orchestra. With nearly 20 albums to his name, as well as countless associations with influential musicians--he sang vocals on a few Beatles tracks and taught Joni Mitchell guitar techniques--Phillips has retained the title of one of rock's most influential musicians.
