HotHouse Mourns the Loss of Phil Thomas

Visitation

will be from 4-7pm Wed., August 28 and from 10-11am Thurs., August 29.

Services will be held from 11am to 12pm (noon), Thurs., August 29.

Visitation and Services at Calahan Funeral Home, 7030 S. Halsted.

Phillip P. Thomas,

drummer/percussionist, 76, died Friday, August 23, in

Little Company of Mary Hospital, in Evergreen Park after

heart failure. He is survived by his wife Jean, stepdaughter Sharron

Mason, granddaughter Keturah, and brother Richard (NYC).

Born in Chicago, Phil Thomas entered

showbiz singing and tap dancing at the age of eight. After studying

piano for three years he switched to drums while in service in 1943. In

1946 he entered the Midwest Conservatory where he studied for four years

under Don Knapp and Jose Bethancourt. During this time he began

performing and recording with Chicago blues bands. In 1950 he joined

the Preston Love Orchestra of Omaha and toured with them for five years.

Returning to Chicago in 1955 he worked with the Red Saunders band at

the Club De Lisa and toured the midwest and east coast. Thomas also

toured with the Charles Brown band.

In 1959 Phil began playing around

Chicago again with blues, bebop and swing bands. In 1960-61, he played

and recorded regularly with the John Young trio, and became a regular

studio artist at Chess Records, Cobra Records, Colombia Records and

Vee-Jay Records.

Phil joined Yoko Noge's Jazz Me Blues

band in 1997, performing weekly at HotHouse and recording with Yoko

until his recent illness. He also toured Japan with Yoko in 1998. He

performed and recorded with many legends, including Memphis Slim, Jimmy

Reed, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Nancy Wilson, Etta James, Stanley

Turrentine, Sonny Stitt, John M. Young, Al Grey, Billy Michell, Sonny

Turner, Frank Foster, The Womack Brothers, Lorez Alexander, Horace

Smith, Walter Cartwright, The Impressions, Von Freeman, George Freeman,

Jimmy Ellis, Katherine Davis, Carl Wooley, Van Kelly, Steve Behr, Earma

Thompson, and Yoko Noge.

HotHouse deeply mourns the loss of this Chicago legend.

Media Contact: Oscar Groves