Just Me. I am sold separately or in combination with a group!
Influences
Gosh, I think I have been influenced by so many people. My personal tastes is so eclectic. Although I listen to nearly everything I especially enjoy singing that soul diva music like Pattie LaBelle's Lady Marmalade or and 80's Tina Turner, Chaka Khan "Ain't Nobody", Mary J Blige, Beyonce, and of course Aretha. If I were a man though I'd want to sound like Donny Hathaway did.
For piano of course I 've been influenced by EJ and BJ but probably more so by the classical composers. I find myself giving pop songs a little classicalistic embellishments ever so often.
I love jazz and I respect all the pianists who play it phenomenally like my friend John Nichols. I enjoy playing jazz music, I have fun with it but probably wouldn't consider it my forte. My favs though are Oscar Peterson, Monty Alexander and probably Bill Evans.
To party to I love 70's Funk like the Gap band, Wild Cherry, Hot Chocolate any Stevie Wonder but I also like Hip Hop, Latin and Arabic music.
Sounds Like
A mixture of Tina Turner, Janis Joplin and Bonnie Rait.
Growing up in a musical family Phyllis began playing in her Dad's band at twelve. "My earliest recollections of being an 'entertainer' was singing Johnny Cash and Tony Orlando songs on top of the kitchen table while my Dad accompanied me on guitar. I began piano lessons at six and it just continued from there. There was nothing I'd rather do than to be singing and playing piano for people." After graduating from Kennessaw State University in Marietta GA with a BA in Music Education Phyllis began traveling thoughout Europe and Africa as a piano entertainer. Working in 18 different countries and then consequently moving to Las Vegas in 1998, Phyllis has enjoyed a successful career in all aspects of the music business.
In addition to live perfomances Phyllis enjoys writing and recording her original music. " I do it more or less as a creative outlet for selfish reasons. I'm not trying to get a major label record deal at this point. It's pretty safe to say I'm a bit past my sell by date for becoming a pop star."
When Phyllis is not performing she is teaching piano lessons and voice lessons in her home in Northwest Las Vegas or teaching an array of subjects as a substitute teacher for CCSD, studying her own lessons (she's working on her MS in Speech Pathology) or spending time with her twin boys, husband and Jack Russell.
Myspace Backgrounds
