Greg Phillinganes


Gregory Arthur Phillinganes is an American keyboardist, vocalist, and arranger. A session musician, Phillinganes has contributed to numerous albums over a broad array of artists and genres. He has toured with artists including Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Toto and The Pussycat Dolls, was musical director for Michael Jackson, and has released two solo studio albums.

Early life

Gregory Arthur Phillinganes was born in Detroit, Michigan, on May 12, 1956 to Elaine and Ardick Phillinganes. He began playing a neighbor's piano by ear at the age of two, beginning lessons a few years later after his mother purchased a piano for him. He took lessons from two different instructors, then from Misha Kotler, a Detroit Symphony Orchestra pianist who introduced the discipline and technique Phillinganes required. He credits Kotler with showing him proper hand posture and for influencing him to play with "a sense of dexterity and definition".

Career

After drummer Ricky Lawson gave Stevie Wonder a cassette of Phillinganes' instrumental renditions of his own songs, Phillinganes auditioned for Wonder's band, Wonderlove, and played with them from 1976 to 1981.
The year 1978 began a three-decade-long involvement with Michael Jackson and the Jacksons for Phillinganes. He arranged the Jacksons' 1978 album Destiny and played keyboard on their follow-up album Triumph. He accompanied the Jackson family to Walt Disney World and referred to Katherine Jackson as "Mom".
Phillinganes contributed to Michael's solo albums. He was hired as a session musician for his contributions to Jackson's best-selling Thriller, but did not receive royalties.

He served as the musical director for Jackson's Bad and Dangerous concert tours, and the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special. In 2022, Phillinganes was mentioned in several episodes of the podcast series Stories in the Room: Michael Jackson's Thriller Album Podcast.
In 1981, Phillinganes released his first solo album, Significant Gains. The Boston Globe reviewer Richard Cromonic noted Wonder's influence on the album and praised the creativity of the compositions. He criticized the lyrics as being less creative, and said that Significant Gains might be too close to Wonder's sound, calling it "blatant emulation". The album was not successful, but the song "Baby, I Do Love You" was a minor R&B hit. Three years later, Phillinganes released his follow-up album Pulse, with another minor hit, a cover of Yellow Magic Orchestra's song "Behind the Mask", with additional lyrics by Michael Jackson. This single was more successful on the dance music charts. When he later joined Eric Clapton's backing band, Phillinganes introduced the tune to Clapton, who covered it on his 1986 August album. Throughout the 1980s and the early 1990s he made solo recordings and toured with Clapton and worked as a session musician for several artists. He continued session work in later years.
Phillinganes has worked and toured with musicians including Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Anita Baker, George Benson, Karen Carpenter, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Donald Fagen, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Michael Jackson, Richard Marx, Paul McCartney, Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones, and Stevie Nicks. In 1982, he played on the Paul Simon album Hearts and Bones and in 1995, he played on the Joan Armatrading album What's Inside.
Starting in 2003, Phillinganes filled in for the semi-retired David Paich on tour with the band Toto. He became a full-time member of the band by 2005, and contributed to their album Falling in Between. He continued to tour as a member of Toto until the band became inactive in 2008, and did not rejoin when Toto re-formed in 2010. In 2022, Phillinganes filled in for Toto's Dominique Xavier Taplin during the 'Dogz of Oz' tour during the Norwegian shows. Toto announced in 2024 on Facebook that he and drummer Shannon Forrest were returning to the touring lineup.
Phillinganes served as the musical director for Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour for its run from 2011 to 2014. Phillinganes was Musical Director for the 2014 Women of Soul performance at The White House with Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Ariana Grande and Jill Scott. In 2014 and 2015 he performed with Stevie Wonder again in the Songs in the Key of Life Tour, also serving "as the tour's Music Director." He toured with the European leg of David Gilmour's Rattle That Lock tour.
He again toured with Gilmour in 2024 in support of Gilmour's latest album, Luck and Strange.
Phillinganes won a 2015 Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for his role as musical director for the television special "Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life" and was music director for the 2016 Grammy Awards.

Personal life

Phillinganes has been married four times. He married his first wife in 1979, after leaving Stevie Wonder's band. He has one daughter, Ellian, with his third wife. He is currently married to singer Jory Steinberg with whom he has twin sons, Lennon Gray and Lorne Ellington.

Discography

Solo
  • Significant Gains
  • Pulse
With Quincy Jones
  • One Hundred Ways
With John Mayer
  • Sob Rock
With Michael Jackson
  • Off the Wall
  • Thriller
  • Bad
  • Dangerous
With David Gilmour
  • Live at Pompeii
With Laura Branigan
  • Laura Branigan
With Donna Summer
  • Donna Summer
With Sheryl Crow
  • Threads
With Mick Jagger
With Deniece Williams
With Thelma Houston
  • Ready to Roll
With Dionne Warwick
  • Finder of Lost Loves
  • Reservations for Two
With Richard Marx
  • Rush Street
  • Flesh and Bone
  • Days in Avalon
With Toni Braxton
  • Secrets
  • The Heat
  • Libra
With Stephen Bishop
  • Bish
With Brenda Russell
  • Kiss Me with the Wind
  • Soul Talkin
  • Paris Rain
With Paul Simon
With Michael Bublé
With Bill Withers
  • Watching You Watching Me
With Michael McDonald
With Barbra Streisand
  • Back to Broadway
  • Higher Ground
With Rod Stewart
  • Soulbook
With Leo Sayer
  • Leo Sayer
With Elvis Costello
  • Painted From Memory
With Stevie Nicks
  • Rock a Little
With Willie Nelson
  • The Great Divide
With Anita Baker
  • Rapture
  • Compositions
  • Rhythm of Love
With Ronan Keating
  • When Ronan Met Burt
With Faith Evans
  • Keep the Faith
With Paul Young
  • The Crossing
With Melissa Manchester
  • Don't Cry Out Loud
With Natalie Cole
  • Dangerous
  • Everlasting
With Mariah Carey
  • Merry Christmas
With Al Jarreau
With Leonard Cohen
  • The Future
With Chaka Khan
  • What Cha' Gonna Do for Me
With Patti Austin
  • Patti Austin
  • The Real Me
  • Love Is Gonna Getcha
  • Carry On
  • That Secret Place
  • On the Way to Love
  • Sound Advice
With Bryan Ferry
  • Taxi
With Ray Parker Jr.
  • After Dark
With Minnie Riperton
  • Love Lives Forever
With Wynonna Judd
With Joan Armatrading
  • What's Inside
With Olivia Newton-John
  • Soul Kiss
With Richie Sambora
  • Undiscovered Soul
With Boz Scaggs
  • Fade into Light
  • Dig
With Cheryl Lynn
  • In Love
With Jennifer Holliday
  • Feel My Soul
With Roberta Flack
  • Oasis
  • Set the Night to Music
With Michael Bolton
With Ilse DeLange
  • Clean Up
With James Taylor
  • October Road
With Jennifer Rush
  • Heart Over Mind
With Eddie Money
  • Life for the Talking
With Diane Schuur
  • Friends For Schuur
With Philip Bailey
  • Triumph
With Kenny Loggins
  • Vox Humana
  • Leap of Faith
  • The Unimaginable Life
With Patti LaBelle
  • Winner in You
  • Burnin
  • Timeless Journey
With Terence Trent D'Arby
  • Symphony or Damn
With Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack
  • Born to Love
With Neil Diamond
With Donald Fagen
  • The Nightfly
With Earth, Wind & Fire
  • I've Had Enough
With Rickie Lee Jones
  • The Magazine
  • Flying Cowboys
  • The Evening of My Best Day
With Lionel Richie
  • Lionel Richie
  • Can't Slow Down
  • Dancing on the Ceiling
With Joe Cocker
  • Civilized Man
  • Night Calls
With Stephanie Mills
  • Merciless
With Peter Allen
  • I Could Have Been a Sailor
With Syreeta Wright
  • One to One
With The Jacksons
  • Destiny
  • Triumph
With George Benson
  • Give Me the Night
  • In Your Eyes
  • While the City Sleeps...
  • Songs and Stories
With Toto
  • Falling in Between
With Aretha Franklin
  • Love All the Hurt Away
With Donald Byrd
  • Thank You...For F.U.M.L.
With Eric Clapton
  • Behind the Sun
  • August
  • Journeyman
  • Pilgrim
With Stevie Wonder
With The Pointer Sisters
  • Special Things
  • Black & White
  • So Excited!
  • Break Out
With The Isley Brothers and Santana
  • ''Power of Peace''