| Phil Driscoll | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 9, 1947 Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Origin | Waco, Texas |
| Genres | Contemporary Christian |
| Occupations | Singer, musician, minister |
| Instruments | Trumpet, voice |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Labels | Phil Driscoll Music Group |
| Website | http://www.phildriscoll.com/site/ |
Phil Driscoll (born November 9, 1947) is a contemporary Christian singer, composer, and perhaps best known for his trumpet playing. He has a music and speaking ministry. Driscoll won a Best Gospel Performance Grammy Award in 1984 for a duet with Debby Boone on "Keep the Fire Burning", [1] and has been nominated for two additional Grammys for Best Pop Album and Best Gospel/Pop Album.[2] He also has won numerous other national awards for his music, including the Christian Country Music Association Award for Best Musician and Canadian Country Musical Association's Musician of the Year.[3] In 2006, Driscoll was found guilty of tax evasion and conspiracy and was sentenced to serve one year in Federal prison.[4]
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Driscoll (born in Seattle, Washington) grew up in a musical family, and began taking music lessons in school when he was a fifth grade student at Lancaster, near Dallas, Texas. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1959, where he began to study trumpet—both in classes at Bell Junior High School and as a private student of Roger Fenn (third trumpet with the Tulsa Philharmonic). While in high school, he won the Amsterdam World Music Festival and was offered numerous music scholarships to college, choosing Baylor University. In his sophomore year, he released his first album, A Touch of Trumpet. In his senior year, he entered a CBS television network national talent search competition and won.[5]
By the 1970s, Driscoll was touring and recording with major music acts, including Stephen Stills, Leon Russell, Blood, Sweat & Tears, and Joe Cocker—as well as the London Philharmonic Orchestra. After becoming increasingly involved with illegal drug use, Driscoll became a Christian on Christmas Day in 1977. He then gave up using drugs, and dedicated his musical efforts to furthering the Christian faith.
In 1981, Driscoll recorded his first Christian album, "Ten Years After," sharing his new-found beliefs. In 1983, he released I Exalt Thee, winning a GMA Dove Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.
In the 1980s, Driscoll was affiliated with the ministry of Kenneth Copeland, playing and singing at many KCM Believers' Conventions. In the 1990s, he toured with "Handel's Young Messiah". [6] He has worked with top session musicians, such as Abraham Laboriel, Bill Maxwell, Justo Almario, and Greg Mathieson. Between 1999 and 2002, he recorded several albums that featured the organ playing of the late Billy Preston. He has performed for several United States presidents, and has played at many national events including: the dedication ceremony for Bill Clinton's presidential library in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the memorial services following the Columbine High School massacre.[7]
Driscoll has recorded over two dozen albums in genres including gospel, classic rock, jazz, pop, patriotic, children's ("Gabe and the Good news Gang"), hymns, and classical music. Some of his more recent albums include Spirit of America (2000), Classic Hymns (2004), and Vintage (2004). The album Vintage included Driscoll's version of the rock classic single "Old Time Rock and Roll".[8]
In 2006, Phil Driscoll and his wife Lynne Driscoll were the subjects of a U.S. federal court indictment which charged that the Driscoll's had used their Cleveland, Tennessee-based Christian music ministry in an income-tax cheating scheme, failing to report more than $1 million in income and evading the payment of more than $300,000 in taxes from 1996 to 2000.[9] Also indicted was Lynne Driscoll’s mother, bookkeeper Chris Blankenship, who died just before the trial. It was testified that their ministry took in as much as $2.8 million annually, and according to the prosecution, Phil Driscoll owned an airplane, drove a Porsche, and used money funneled through Mighty Horn Ministries to buy and sell lake houses.[10] Rick Blankenship, brother of Lynne Driscoll and former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas, testified on behalf of the prosecution that he had worked for Mighty Horn Ministries until he became concerned that “there was little or no differentiation between personal and ministry expenses."[11] On June 8, 2006, Driscoll was found guilty on two counts of tax evasion and one count of conspiracy, and was sentenced to serve one year in federal prison, beginning on March 14, 2007. Lynn Driscoll was found not guilty on two out of three charges and the jury reached a deadlock on a third charge of tax evasion. Prosecutors elected to not retry the case.[4]
Phil Driscoll is married to wife and partner, Lynne Driscoll. Phil has a son, Shawn Driscoll, by his previous marriage to Patti McDavitt. He and Lynne have two children: Jamie and Danielle. Phil had lived in Cleveland, Tennessee, since the early 1980s. He has moved to Eatonton, Georgia where he operates his Mighty Horn ministry. Driscoll is recording music in the fields of pop, gospel, country, classic rock, patriotic and classical under his own label, Phil Driscoll Music Group, including Songs in the Key of Worship and Here and Now, both released in 2008.
| Year | Album | Peak chart position | Record Label | Record Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Blowin' A New Mind | Word | ||
| 1972 | A Touch Of Trumpet | |||
| 1978 | Acclaimed and Framed | |||
| 1981 | Ten Years After | Sparrow Records | ||
| 1982 | Songs in the Spirit (Vol. 1 & 2) | |||
| 1982 | What Kind Of Love | |||
| 1982 | Sound The Trumpet | Sparrow | Phil Driscoll, Lari Goss | |
| 1983 | I Exalt Thee | 15 | ||
| 1983 | Covenant Children | 26 | Phil Driscoll, Lari Goss | |
| 1984 | Celebrate Freedom | 33 | ||
| 1985 | Power Of Praise | 12 | ||
| 1986 | Amazing Grace And Other Favorites | 23 | ||
| 1986 | The Spirit Of Christmas | JCI Associated | Driscoll, Goss, Ken Pennell | |
| 1986 | Instrument Of Praise | 7 | Word | |
| 1987 | Make Us One | 10 | Compose Records | Driscoll, Bill Maxwell |
| 1989: | Classic Hymns (Vol. 1 & 2) | Word | ||
| 1990 | Inner Man | 21 | JCI Associated | Phil Driscoll |
| 1990 | Gabe And The Good News Gang | Mighty Horn | ||
| 1992 | The Picture Changes | 28 | ||
| 1993 | Heaven And Nature Swing | 33 | Bill Maxwell, Ralph Carmichael | |
| 1994 | Warriors | 12 | Word | |
| 1995 | In His Presence | Most High Music | Phil Driscoll | |
| 1996 | A Different Man | Word/Epic | Chris Harris | |
| 1997 | LIVE With Friends | Mighty Horn | Phil Driscoll | |
| 1997 | Live Praise & Worship | |||
| 1998 | Shine the Light | Phil Driscoll, Jimmy Johnson | ||
| 1999 | Simple Song | Phil Driscoll | ||
| 1999 | The Quiet | Bill Maxwell | ||
| 2000 | Selah (I & II) | |||
| 2000 | Plugged In | |||
| 2003 | One Nation Under God | |||
| 2006 | Drops Of Praise | Koch Records | Phil Driscoll, Jimmy Johnson | |
| 2008 | Songs in the Key of Worship | |||
| 2008 | Here and Now | Mighty Horn |