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THE CAT’S OUT OF THE BAG – click on each tab to see…

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P h i l   A l d r i d g e
 
Phil’s musical education began with the Southend Youth Orchestra back in 1970, continued via Southend Tech College, through Trinity College of Music in London, finishing up in 1980 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachussetts, USA.

His early professional years were spent as a free-lance drummer and percussionist playing with bands and orchestras in the Southeast.

Thanks to his earlier grounding at Trinity and Berklee, he was able to turn his hand to arranging and musical direction, undertaking concert tours in the late eighties

and early nineties with an array of visiting American artists – Shalimar, George McCrae, The Real Thing, Junior Walker and the All-Stars, The Crystals, Jimmy Ruffin, Jean Carne, Ben E King, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Limmee and the Family Cookin’, Rose Royce, Edwin Starr, Boney M, Precious Wilson, Sister Sledge and as tour manager with Tony Bennett.

Following this period as sideman for others, Phil decided it was now time to row his own boat and launched the Tribute to the Carpenters in 1989. This was the very first show to coin the label “Tribute” and was right at the very beginning of what was later to become a genre in its own right.

In the Summer of ’96, wanting a change of direction, Phil called upon all his previous experience to create his most demanding endeavour to date, The Illegal Eagles. For full details please visit www.illegaleagles.com.

The Illegal Eagles would prove to be life changing for Phil…

Around this time, Phil became unhappy with freelancing and decided to concentrate entirely on the Illegal Eagles. This would inevitably lead to periods of inertia between tours, so the time was right for the realisation of another long-term ambition, a recording studio.

While the Illegal Eagles were recording the first promo CD at Trackside Studios in Southend, the owner asked Phil if he knew anyone who might care to take over from him. Within a year Nightfly Studios (after his lifetime favourite album by Donald Fagen) was up and running – a complex of some 5500sq ft comprising several rehearsal rooms, a dance studio and two recording studios. (Check out the website – www.nightflystudios.co.uk). All future Illegal Eagles recordings and rehearsals would now have a regular home.

Previously, studying at Berklee had pointed out the deficiencies in the British music education system as far as rock music was concerned, so now Phil and Nightfly were in a position to join forces with Access to Music an amazing, comprehensive rock education system, funded totally by the government. Access has 24 courses nationwide, which are of two years duration, 5 days a week and is aimed at talented musicians of school leaving age. Many students have graduated from the course to become successful professionals.

More IE related happenings were on the way..

While Phil was busy on stage drumming with the Illegal Eagles each year in the Midlands, a certain fan was making the same annual pilgrimage to see the show. In September 2005, Phil and Janey were married in Canewdon Church in Essex on a fabulous summer’s day, with Illegal Eagles past and present in attendance and Jeff “Wildman” Green as best man. Our trusty photographer Les Linyard was there to record the event.

This year, Phil and Janey relocated to Lincoln and have just opened a second recording studio – Tabby Road Studios.

Rehearsals have been held there for this year’s festivals and tour. Tabby Road is a residential studio, so the whole band, with our new singer Danny, have been enjoying round-the-clock rehearsals and hospitality up in the Midlands and are looking forward, with much relish, to getting back on the road for this years Illegal Eagles festivities!



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