About Phil Hooley
Singer-songwriter and founder of the alt country band The Woolgatherers, Scarborough based Phil Hooley is also busy as a solo performer. Phil's songs are lyrically driven and always thought provoking. Describing himself as “late to the party” having worked the pubs and clubs for many years, and with an easy stage presence, Phil has received many plaudits for his live shows, and is a favourite on the festival circuit. He has released two albums to date, “Songs From The Back Room” in 2022 and “Provenance” in April 2023, both albums receiving critical acclaim from the reviewers.
Sam Inglis from Sound On Sound describes Phil’s voice as “more Knopfler than Sinatra” and Phil’s own love of songwriters such as Guy Clark, Nick Lowe and Bob Dylan is also evident in his delivery of his songs.
On 14th May 2021 he released his first solo album “Songs From The Back Room” and there followed appearances at the prestigeous Black Deer Festival, opening shows for Robert Vincent, Chris Difford, Sara Petite, and also establishing himself on the Americana circuit at well loved venues such as The Sound Lounge, The Bedford, The Jenny Lind.
Phil followed up the success of his first album with the release of Provenance in 2023. The ten songs that make up the album reflect both the maturity and growing confidence of Hooley's songwriting. As with the first album, Provenance was produced by Justin Johnson, who drew in the services of some top session players, including Nashville bluegrass fiddle player Jim Van Cleve. The album was mastered at Yes Master Studios in Nashville, and includes some wonderfully moving songs such as The Veteran's Song.
