Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 29, 1995 TAG: 9503290040
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: STACY JONES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
He's Scottish, was born 28 miles from Sean Connery and once saluted the parachute drop at Coney Island because he thought it was the Statue of Liberty?
"It was foggy," Phillips offers in his euphonious lilt. "Once it cleared up, I realized what a fool I'd been."
These days, the story on Phillips' lips has to do with the Hotel Roanoke and the launch of his new career as a songwriter.
Phillips wrote "The Lady on the Hill," a Bennettesque ballad, in tribute to the new Hotel Roanoke. After playing the tape for Gary Walton, general manager of Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, and Roanoke Mayor David Bowers, Phillips landed a gig performing the song at the hotel's afternoon dedication on April 29.
"It was very entertaining," Walton said. "He captured what the Hotel Roanoke meant to residents of the valley."
Phillips got the idea after months of passing the construction site on his way through town. Though he had never stayed at the old hotel, he knew of its history and the spell it cast on the many who stayed and worked there. Phillips' lyrics illustrate that affection.
He wrote the song in one day and later recorded it at a studio.
"It sounded pretty good," said the retired carpenter. "I was surprised." And eager to get his work out.
Not one to sit and wait for opportunity to knock, Phillips made plans to open his own doors. Armed with a cassette of "The Lady on the Hill," a Walkman and his natural wile, he set out for the mayor's office.
"He thought I was there to complain about taxes," said Phillips. "Then I gave him the tape."
"He listened for a minute, and said, 'This is beautiful.' I remember thinking to myself, 'Jackie, you're home, baby, you're home.' "
A construction worker for 29 years in New York, Phillips had to put off song writing until retirement. His first priority then was providing for his wife and four daughters.
"There are millions of songwriters and millions of songwriters starving," mused Phillips. "I had a family to raise and no time to write."
Now, all he has is time, and at age 73 he wouldn't mind being known as an up-and-comer in theater circles.
"If his music is heard, people are going to fall in love with it," said Gary Fulsebakke, 42, an opera tenor who is a friend and mentor to Phillips. "He has an Old Broadway musical style. Nice, unique songs."
Craig Fields, general director of Opera Roanoke, complimented with caution. Phillips' music "was well crafted and had a sophisticated ring to it. I could have closed my eyes and thought I was listening to `Phantom of the Opera.'''
Still, Fields warned Phillips not to carry it too far because "you don't want to sound like you're just imitating."
So far, his body of work includes the music and lyrics for "The Romance of Atlantis," a play by writer Jordan Christopher; music and lyrics for his own play called "The Legend of Robbie Burns," which is based on the life of the famous Scottish poet; and a stint as musical director for a Showtimers' production on Cole Porter.
"This has been a burning desire of his for a long time," said Christopher.
"The freedom of retirement opened up a new avenue," he added. "It is a rebirth for him."
Phillips is familiar with revivals - this is his second.
The first occurred in 1957, at the age of 35, when he came to America, alone, from his native Scotland with a box of clothing, a box of carpenters' tools and $37 in his pocket.
"I had no where to go, and I was scared," Phillips admitted.
He soon found a YMCA, booked a week for $28 and tried not to give up. The next day he went to the Freemasons' headquarters and asked for a job. "I told them I was a brother from Scotland and needed work," Phillips recalled. "I got a job the next day for $2 an hour."
Despite the initial hardship, Phillips immediately took to his new home, finding such amenities as health care, refrigerators and cigarette lighters in cars. "It was a new world," he said. "I knew America was for me."
Much in the same fashion, Phillips knows that, at least for now, music is for him. And, nearly 40 years after the RMS Queen Mary docked in the Hudson and discharged him to the streets of New York, he still relies on the one quality that provides opportunity when talent doesn't - mystical Gaelic charm.
"Everyone is intrigued by his Scottish brogue," laughed Christopher. "It's very, very charming." Recalling their first meeting, Fulsebakke said, "He was nice, a humble person. Of course, there's his accent."
And, don't forget, his music.
"Jack's main motivation in life is to let what's inside flow out," said Christopher, who hopes their collaboration will be produced by Mill Mountain Theatre or some other regional company. "He's not motivated by the materialistic outcome."
"He seems to have the right attitude and the ability" to succeed, said Fields. But, "he'll have to capture the public's imagination."
Phillips, meanwhile, keeps writing, slightly amazed at all that has happened to him in the last six months. "It's a dream come true," said the self-taught composer. "I'm doing what I love, writing my music."
And on the those rare occasions he lacks inspiration, Phillips heads for his spot at Carvins Cove which overlooks the mountains.
"It's like being in Scotland," he explained. "I sit in my van and feel the lyrics coming."
Keywords:
INFOLINE
Memo: ***CORRECTION***