Phil Aldridge

Phil Aldridgeis pianist.

When Phil was 10, the only thing he knew for certain was that he wanted to be Ringo Starr when he grew up!

So, at 16, he applied for entry to Trinity College of Music to be told that he would not be able to study as a drummer, but that he would have to take up orchestral

percussion and piano.

He practiced avidly, passed the audition when he was 18 and spent 4 great years there, followed by a spell at Berklee

College in Boston, Massachusetts where he studied drums, vibraphone and arranging.

Phil's first professional job was as a drummer for a Mecca disco band called Whisky Mac who’d just won New Faces, a well known TV talent show at the time.

This was followed by stints as musical director for bands to back touring soul artists such as Ben E King, Junior Walker, George McCrae and Martha and the Vandellas.

The experience gained on the soul tours, enabled him to create and produce his two current theatre shows, The Carpenters Story and The Illegal Eagles.