By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
PHIL PERRY, the incredible vocalist considered a singer’s singer, reaches his 74th birthday this week as his talents are being discovered by a new generation.
“It’s so exciting to know that many are listening to my music, written 50 years ago … which was put on the shelf and/or never released,” he recently posted about his work with the Montclairs prior to his stellar solo career. “I could have never thought that I would have fans ages 18-40, in such high numbers 50 years later. Some of [their] parents weren’t even born when these songs were recorded.”
Perry spoke to TASTY CLIPS nine years ago while promoting his 12th album “Breathless.”
“I didn’t try to write everything,” he said of the Shanachie release. “There is such a thing as being too close to what you do. When you are, you lose objectivity. If I think enough of the cats on this record to hire them, why wouldn’t I allow them to do what they do and be a part of the sound? That’s what making music is about.”
Perry was joined again by his longtime collaborator, producer extraordinaire and pianist, Chris “Big Dog” Davis, who helped select a top-notch selection of melodies including the title track and beautiful ballad “Never Can Say Goodbye,” penned by Compton native Fred Sawyers; and stunning covers of Lee Ritenour’s “Is It You?;” the Hal David/Burt Bacharach pop classic “One Less Bell To Answer;” and Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s In Need Of Love Today.”
Of the latter, Perry appreciated the sentiment especially for the sociological era we find ourselves living in.
“Look at how polarized we have become not only as a community but as a society in general,” he noted. “Look what the secularization of our country has done to us. Ain’t love in need? And ain’t it in need today?”
Perry’s vocal prowess has been co-signed by many of the greatest singers on the planet including Anita Baker, James Ingram, Barbra Streisand and the late Al Jarreau, who dubbed him “the real deal.”
“[He was] one of the most gracious, kind, loving, giving spirits to ever walk this earth,” said Perry of his friend. “Al was from the real old school and that, in terms of entertainment, suggests you take every offer you get, especially if it’s fiscally prudent. I’ve no trouble with his working habit, I just wish he hadn’t worked himself to death, because to die of exhaustion suggests you’ve been exhausted for a while. May he rest in peace and find the bosom of our lord.”
“Al leaving here was just an affirmation of something that I believed when my heart started giving me trouble,” he continued. “There aren’t but two kinds of people in the world — the ones who work to live and the ones who live to work. Who lives the longest? I rest my case. That’s real talk.”
When asked his opinion of the controversy then regarding Adele winning Album of the Year over Beyoncé, Perry, a NARAS member, said he doesn’t watch the Grammys anymore.
“The year that Coolio won best R&B vocal was the last time I looked at a Grammy award show,” he admitted, “because I said to myself this cat is a rapper. He ain’t even in the same zip code as a singer and he won when you have Brian McKnight and Jeffrey Osborne, who incidentally has never won a Grammy, waiting. No, I see very plainly now I embarked into something I knew absolutely nothing about and I’m out.”
Perry felt that we’ve over categorized music and doesn’t buy the savior tag anointed to the British pop singer.
“If Adele saved the industry, how come we still ain’t got no retail?,” he asked. “Saving the industry encompasses much, much more than was suggested. And who says likes equals sales?”
In December of 2024, after nearly 57 years touring, recording, traveling, writing, Perry wrote: “I’M TIRED. I don’t think of it as Retirement, but rather as Resting. Please don’t ask about concerts or where, when, etc., although I truly appreciate the LOVE. I was 16 when I started this amazing journey back in 1969. I’m just happy being home, watching sports, enjoying the fruits of my labor, and continuing to let my body heal without upcoming dates to be concerned about (rehearsals, sound checks, etc.)
“I thank GOD for the numerous videos and recording that are available ALL OVER SOCIAL PLATFORMS. … Thank you for the love … but I’M TIRED, y’all. I love my FANS! – Still PHIL.”
For more than 11 years, Bill Vaughan has kept Wave readers up to date with the latest news in entertainment. Now, we are collecting some of those past columns into what we call the Best of Tasty Clips. To contact Vaughan, visit his social media pages on Facebook and Instagram or @tasty_clips, on X @tastyclips, and on LinkedIn to William Vaughan.
