Philip Sayce

About

A hotshot guitarist who plays a revved-up mixture of electric blues, hard rock, and tough psychedelia, Philip Sayce was born in Aberystwyth, Wales. When he was two years old, his family pulled up stakes and moved to Canada. Sayce grew up in Toronto, where his parents raised him on a diet of classic rock and blues, with a special fondness for Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Dire Straits, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Ry Cooder.

Sayce developed a love for music early on and began learning to play guitar on a Sears acoustic given to him by his folks. Sayce started his first band when he was just 15. At 16, he began appearing regularly at Grossman's Tavern, a Toronto venue that featured open blues jams. It didn't take long for Sayce to develop a loyal following on the Toronto club scene.

When Canadian blues guitarist Jeff Healey heard Sayce's work, he invited him to join his band. Sayce signed on with Healey's group, and he worked with Healey for four years, appearing on the album Get Me Some and live releases.

Sayce moved to California, and he landed a gig with Uncle Kracker, playing in his road band and on the 2002 album No Stranger to Shame. A casual meeting between Sayce and GRAMMY award-winning producer John Shanks led to his next job. Shanks was scouting a new guitarist for Melissa Etheridge, and after hearing Sayce, he recommended him for the job. Between 2004 and 2008, Sayce was part of Etheridge's band and appeared on three of her studio albums, as well as two live releases.

In 2009, Sayce released the album Peace Machine. Innerevolution followed in 2010. Ruby Electric (2011) and Steamroller (2012) were produced by GRAMMY award-winning producer Dave Cobb. Sayce toured diligently with his road band, sharing stages with the likes of ZZ Top and Deep Purple. Sayce performed at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in New York City, and in 2015 Sayce struck a deal with Warner Music.

That year he put out his first major-label solo effort, Influence, which was also produced by Dave Cobb. A live album was released in 2016, Scorched Earth. His most recent studio album, Spirit Rising, was released on Warner Music in 2020 and, to date, has over 11 million streams on Spotify alone. Sayce's anticipated new album is scheduled to be released in late 2023 on Atomic Gemini, his own new label.