Utah Phillips Dies In His Sleep

American folk musician Utah Phillips [ tickets ], 73, died May 23 of congestive heart failure at his home in Nevada City, CA, according to an official obituary posted on his website.Phillips, born Bruce Duncan Phillips, drew from diverse influences including the Borscht Belt, Myron Cohen, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Hank Williams and T. Texas Tyler. Over the span of nearly four decades, Phillips performed in large and small cities throughout the US, Canada and Europe. A single from Phillips' first record, "Moose Turd Pie," saw extensive airplay in 1973. Throughout the years, his performing partners included Rosalie Sorrels, Kate Wolf, John McCutcheon and Ani DiFranco.Phillips' extensive writing and recording career included two Grammy-nominated albums with DiFranco. His songs were performed and recorded by noted artists including Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Tom Waits and Joe Ely, among others. Phillips was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Folk Alliance in 1997.Early in his life, Phillips developed a lifelong concern with the living conditions of working people. When he began suffering from the effects of chronic heart disease in 2004, he cut back his touring schedule and launched a nationally syndicated folk-music radio show, "Loafer's Glory." In 2005, he started a homeless shelter, Hospitality House, in his rural home county, where down-on-their-luck men and women had been sleeping under the manzanita brush at the edge of town. Today, Hospitality House continues to provide a safe haven for 25 to 30 guests a night. Phillips' family requests memorial donations be sent to Hospitality House via its website.