Phil Upchurch (Chicago, Illinois, July 19, 1941) is an American jazz and rh… Read Full Bio ↴Phil Upchurch (Chicago, Illinois, July 19, 1941) is an American jazz and rhythm & blues guitarist and bassist.

Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush and Jimmy Reed. (His association with Kool Gents member Dee Clark would continue, including playing guitar on Clark's 1961 solo hit "Raindrops".) He then returned to Chicago to play and record with Woody Herman, Stan Getz, Groove Holmes, B.B. King, and Dizzy Gillespie.
In 1961, his record "You Can't Sit Down", by the Philip Upchurch Combo, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. "You Can't Sit Down, Part 2" peaked at #29 on the Billboard charts in the US. In the 1960s he toured with Oscar Brown, appearing on the 1965 live album, Mr. Oscar Brown, Jr. Goes to Washington. Returning from the Army in 1967, he recorded with Richard Evans, John Lee Hooker, Grover Washington, Jr. and Cannonball Adderley. Upchurch was part of a group called the Soulful Strings during the 1960s, prior to working with Rotary Connection on Chess's Cadet label. In the 1970s he worked with Ramsey Lewis, Quincy Jones and led his own quartet with Tennyson Stephens. In the mid 1970s and 1980s, he performed with George Benson, Mose Allison, Gary Burton, Lenny Breau, Joe Williams, Natalie Cole, Carmen McRae, Cat Stevens and Michael Jackson.

In the 1990s he worked with Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff.

His son is the drummer, Sean Rickman.

His wife, his seventh, is the actress Sonya Maddox.

Discography

As leader
You Can't Sit Down, Part Two (Boyd/United Artists #UAL-3162 mono and #UAS-6162 stereo, 1961)
The Big Hit Dances: The Twist... (United Artists #UAL-3175 mono and #UAS-6175 stereo, 1962)
Feeling Blue: The Phil Upchurch Guitar Sound (Milestone #9010; OJC #1100, 1967)
Upchurch (Cadet/Chess #LPS-826, 1969) with Donny Hathaway on piano.
The Way I Feel (Cadet/Chess/GRT #LPS-840, 1970)
Darkness, Darkness (Blue Thumb #BTS-6005, 1972)
Lovin' Feeling (Blue Thumb #BTS-59, 1973)
Upchurch/Tennyson with Tennyson Stephens (Kudu/CTI #KU-22, 1975)
Phil Upchurch (Marlin/T.K. Productions #MAR-2209, 1978) produced by John Tropea and George Benson.
Free & Easy (JAM/Jazz America Marketing #007, 1982)
Revelation (JAM #011, 1982)
Name Of The Game (JAM #018, 1983)
Companions with Jimmy Witherspoon (JAM #021, 1984) issued as Paladin/Virgin #PAL-4 for UK market.
Phil Upchurch Presents L.A. Jazz Quintet (Pro Arte/Intersound #631, 1986) with Brandon Fields, Bobby Lyle, Brian Bromberg, Harvey Mason.
Dolphin Dance (Sound Service #6177, 1987)
Midnite Blue (Electric Bird/King #KICJ-53, 1991) compilation of JAM material.
All I Want (Ichiban #ICH-1127, 1991)
Whatever Happened To The Blues (Ridgetop/Bean Bag/Go Jazz #55566, 1992) issued as Go Jazz #VBR-2066 for Germany market.
Love Is Strange (Ridgetop/Bean Bag/Go Jazz #55552; Go Jazz #6012, 1995)
Rhapsody & Blues (Go Jazz #6035, 1999)
Tell The Truth! (Evidence #22222, 2001) produced by Carla Olson.
Impressions Of Curtis Mayfield by Jazz Soul Seven (BFM Jazz/Varese Sarabande #62413, 2012) produced by Brian Brinkerhoff; co-produced and arranged by Phil Upchurch; featuring Terri Lyne Carrington, Russ Ferrante, Master Henry Gibson, Bob Hurst, Wallace Roney, Phil Upchurch, Ernie Watts.

With the Soulful Strings

Paint It Black (Cadet/Chess #LPS-776, 1966)
Groovin' with the Soulful Strings (Cadet/Chess #LPS-796, 1967)
Another Exposure (Cadet/Chess #LPS-805, 1968)
The Magic of Christmas (Cadet/Chess #LPS-814, 1968)
Back by Demand: The Soulful Strings in Concert (Cadet/Chess #LPS-820, 1969)
String Fever (Cadet/Chess #LPS-834, 1969)
Play Gamble-Huff (Cadet/Chess/GRT #LPS-846, 1971)
The Best of the Soulful Strings (Cadet/Chess/GRT #2CA-50022, 1972) compilation/2-LP set

As sideman
With George Benson

Bad Benson (CTI, 1974)
Good King Bad (CTI, 1975)
Breezin' (Warner Bros., 1976)

With Stan Getz

What the World Needs Now: Stan Getz Plays Burt Bacharach and Hal David (Verve, 1968)

With Dizzy Gillespie

The Real Thing (Perception, 1969)

With Red Holloway

Standing Room Only (Chiaroscuro, 2000)

With Hubert Laws

The Chicago Theme (CTI, 1974)

With Ramsey Lewis

Them Changes (Cadet, 1970)

With Jack McDuff

The Natural Thing (Cadet, 1968)
The Heatin' System (Cadet, 1971)
Magnetic Feel (Cadet, 1975)

With Carmen McRae

Fine And Mellow [live] (Concord, 1987)

With Ben Sidran

Don't Let Go (Blue Thumb, 1974)

Knock On Wood
Phil Upchurch Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't wanna loose this good thing
That I got
Cause If I do
I will surely loose a lot
Cause your love is better
Than any love I know
It's like thunder, lighting
The way you love me is frightening

I better knock
On wood
Baby

I'm not superstitious about you
But I can't take no chance
You got me spinning
Baby I'm in a trance
Cause your love is better
Than any love I know
It's like thunder, lighting
The way you love me is frightening
I better knock
On wood
Baby

It's no secret that man
Is my loving stuff
He sees to it
That I get enough
Just one touch from him
You know it means so much
It's like thunder, lighting
The way you love me is frightening
I better knock

On wood
Baby

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Phil Upchurch's "Knock on Wood" express the fear of losing something good and precious. The singer is aware of the importance of the love he has found and how rare it is to find such completeness in someone. The opening line, "I don't want to lose this good thing that I've got, 'cause, if I do, I will surely lose a lot," highlights this fear of losing, and it sets the tone for the whole song. He knows that he has something special in this relationship, and he cannot afford to take any chances with it. He is so grateful for the love his partner gives him, and he knows that it's better than any love he has ever experienced.

The song expresses the kind of overpowering love that makes you feel helpless and dependent. The lines, "It's like thunder, lightning, the way you love me is frightening," paint a picture of the kind of intense love that the singer has with his partner. He is aware that their love is unlike anything he has ever experienced, and it makes him want to knock on wood just to make sure he does not lose it. Despite his fear, the singer still believes in the strength of the love he has found, and this makes him willing to take a chance on it. Overall, the song can be seen as a plea to the universe not to take away something that the singer treasures so dearly.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't wanna loose this good thing
I value and am afraid of losing the love that we have

That I got
That I have with you

Cause If I do
If I lose it

I will surely loose a lot
I will lose something very important to me

Cause your love is better
Because your love is superior

Than any love I know
Compared to all other love I have experienced

It's like thunder, lighting
Your love is intense and powerful

The way you love me is frightening
I am scared of how much I love you

I better knock
I should knock

On wood
For good luck

Baby
My dear lover