Stu Phillips was a Quebecois country singer who found success down south in Nashville after many years as a Canadian star, specializing in Western-themed songs, and folk-historical material with a Canadian flair. He never made as big as Hank Snow, but was successful enough to emigrate to Nashville in the 1960s... Here's a quick look at his work...
Stu Phillips "Sings Echoes Of The Canadian Foothills" (Rodeo Records, 1957) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Visit Old Quebec With Stu Phillips" (Rodeo Records, 1957) (LP)
Stu Phillips "A Visit To British Columbia With Stu Phillips" (Rodeo Records, 1958) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Stu Phillips Sings Big Rock Candy Mountain" (Rodeo Records, 19--?) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Old Songs For Young Folks" (Banff Records, 1962) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Feels Like Lovin' " (Capitol Records, 1965) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Singin' Stu Phillips" (RCA Victor, 1966) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Grassroots Country" (RCA Victor, 1967) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Our Last Rendezvous" (RCA Victor, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Chet Atkins)
This was his big hit album, with his highest-charting single, "Juanita Jones," an "El Paso"-ish border ballad that hit #13 and was one of several songs that evoke Marty Robbins' neo-cowboy style. The other big influence comes from Jim Reeves; when Phillips really gets into it, he's almost a dead ringer for Reeves' rumbling, velvety baritone. This is all pretty corny, but if that's a sound that you like, this is pretty good record. Billy Walker provides lush, schmaltzy arrangements on several songs. A couple of other tracks were released as singles, but they stayed pretty firmly in the back forty...
Stu Phillips "The Early Stu Phillips Folk Songs, From Unreleased Masters" (Canadian Cavalcade, 1973) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Have A Nice Day" (Paragon Records, 1976) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Born To Be A Man" (Pickwick Records, 1980) (LP)
Stu Phillips "Don't Give Up On Me" (Broadland Records, 1993)
Stu Phillips "Blue Canadian Rockies" (Watermark Records, 1996)
Stu Phillips "You Love The Hurt Away" (Watermark Records, 1997)
An all-gospel album...
