Greg Phillinganes
Phillinganes performing withHerbie Hancock in 2010
Background information
Also known as	Mouse, Philly Steak
Born	Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (1956-05-12)May 12, 1956 (age 69) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Pop rock progressive rock R&B
Occupation	Musician
Instruments	Keyboards synthesizer vocals
Years active	1976–present[1]
Member of	Stevie Wonder David Gilmour The Jacksons Michael Jackson Toto Eric Clapton Quincy Jones Bruno Mars The Pussycat Dolls John Mayer

Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, vocalist, and arranger. Asession musician, Phillinganes has contributed to numerous albums over a broad array of artists and genres. He has toured with artists includingStevie Wonder,Eric Clapton,David Gilmour,Toto andThe Pussycat Dolls, was musical director forMichael Jackson, and has released two solo studio albums.

Gregory Arthur Phillinganes was born in Detroit, Michigan, on May 12, 1956 to Elaine and Ardick Phillinganes.^[2][3] He began playing a neighbor's piano by ear at the age of two, beginning lessons a few years later after his mother purchased a piano for him.^[1] He took lessons from two different instructors, then from Misha Kotler, aDetroit Symphony Orchestra pianist who introduced the discipline and technique Phillinganes required. He credits Kotler with showing him proper hand posture and for influencing him to play with "a sense of dexterity and definition".^[1]

After drummerRicky Lawson gaveStevie Wonder a cassette of Phillinganes' instrumental renditions of his own songs, Phillinganes auditioned for Wonder's band, Wonderlove, and played with them from 1976 to 1981.^[1]The year 1978 began a three-decade-long involvement withMichael Jackson andthe Jacksons for Phillinganes. He arranged the Jacksons' 1978 albumDestiny and played keyboard on their follow-up albumTriumph.^[4] He accompanied theJackson family toWalt Disney World and referred toKatherine Jackson as "Mom".^[5]

Phillinganes contributed to Michael's solo albums. He was hired as a session musician for his contributions to Jackson's best-sellingThriller,^[6] but did not receiveroyalties.^[5]

He served as the musical director for Jackson'sBad andDangerous concert tours, and theMichael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special. In 2022, Phillinganes was mentioned in several episodes of the podcast seriesStories in the Room: Michael Jackson's Thriller Album Podcast.

In 1981, Phillinganes released his first solo album,Significant Gains.^[7]The Boston Globe reviewer Richard Cromonic noted Wonder's influence on the album and praised the creativity of the compositions. He criticized the lyrics as being less creative, and said thatSignificant Gains might be too close to Wonder's sound, calling it "blatant emulation".^[8] The album was not successful, but the song "Baby, I Do Love You" was a minor R&B hit.^[9] Three years later, Phillinganes released his follow-up albumPulse, with another minor hit, a cover ofYellow Magic Orchestra's song "Behind the Mask", with additional lyrics by Michael Jackson. This single was more successful on thedance music charts.^[9] When he later joinedEric Clapton's backing band, Phillinganes introduced the tune to Clapton, who covered it on his 1986August album. Throughout the 1980s and the early 1990s he made solo recordings and toured with Clapton and worked as a session musician for several artists. He continued session work in later years.^[1]

Phillinganes has worked and toured with musicians includingStevie Wonder,George Harrison, theBee Gees,Donna Summer,Anita Baker,George Benson,Karen Carpenter, Eric Clapton,John Mayer,Donald Fagen,Aretha Franklin,Patti LaBelle, Michael Jackson,Richard Marx,Paul McCartney,Al Jarreau,Quincy Jones, andStevie Nicks.^[10][11] In 1982, he played on thePaul Simon albumHearts and Bones and in 1995, he played on theJoan Armatrading albumWhat's Inside.

Starting in 2003, Phillinganes filled in for the semi-retiredDavid Paich on tour with the bandToto. He became a full-time member of the band by 2005, and contributed to their albumFalling in Between. He continued to tour as a member of Toto until the band became inactive in 2008, and did not rejoin when Toto re-formed in 2010.^[12] In 2022, Phillinganes filled in for Toto's Dominique Xavier Taplin during the 'Dogz of Oz' tour during theNorwegian shows. Toto announced in 2024 on Facebook that he and drummerShannon Forrest were returning to the touring lineup.^[13]

Phillinganes served as the musical director forCirque du Soleil'sMichael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour for its run from 2011 to 2014.^[4] Phillinganes was Musical Director for the 2014 Women of Soul performance atThe White House withAretha Franklin,Patti LaBelle,Ariana Grande andJill Scott.^[14] In 2014 and 2015 he performed with Stevie Wonder again in theSongs in the Key of Life Tour, also serving "as the tour's Music Director."^[15] He toured with the European leg ofDavid Gilmour'sRattle That Lock tour.^[16]He again toured with Gilmour in 2024 in support of Gilmour's latest album, Luck and Strange.

Phillinganes won a 2015Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction for his role as musical director for the television special "Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life"^[17] and was music director for the 2016 Grammy Awards.^[18]

Phillinganes has been married four times. He married his first wife in 1979, after leaving Stevie Wonder's band.^[19] He has one daughter, Ellian, with his third wife.^[3] He is currently married to singer Jory Steinberg with whom he has twin sons, Lennon Gray and Lorne Ellington.^[19]

Cited sources

Other sources

• "Greg Phillinganes: Discography".AllMusic.com. All Media Network. RetrievedDecember 31, 2014.
• Ivory, Steve (March 9, 1985). "Black: Session Ace Phillinganes Takes His Own Solo 'Pulse'".Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 10. Nielsen Business Media. p. 65.ISSN 0006-2510.
• "Phillinganes' Debut Video, 'Behind The Mask'".Back Stage.26 (20). Back Stage Publications: 36. May 17, 1985.ISSN 0005-3635.
• "Greg Philliganes".Music Technology. November 1992.ISSN 0957-6606.OCLC 24835173.

• Greg Phillinganes atAllMusic
• Greg Phillinganes Interview atNAMM Oral History Collection (2015)

• 1956 births
• 20th-century American musicians
• 20th-century American male musicians
• 21st-century American keyboardists
• 21st-century American male musicians
• African-American rock musicians
• African-American pianists
• American organists
• American session musicians
• Cass Technical High School alumni
• Living people
• Musicians from Detroit
• Primetime Emmy Award winners
• Toto (band) members
• 20th-century American keyboardists

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