Skip to main content

Appalachian Today

News and events at Appalachian State University
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Accolades
  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Athletics
  • Awards and Honors
  • Community Engagement
  • Diversity
  • Events
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Global
  • Health and Wellness
  • Publications
  • Research and Creative Works
  • Safety
  • Scholarships
  • Students
  • Sustainability
☰ Menu
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact

Alumnus Craig Phillips ’93 works to restore musical legacy of The Revelers

View larger image

Sheet music for “Singin’ in the Rain.” Photo courtesy of Craig Phillips

View larger image

Hayes School of Music alumnus Dr. Craig Phillips ’93, University of Oregon music professor and founding member of the vocal quartet New York Polyphony. Photo by Chris Owyoung

By Linda Coutant
Posted July 17, 2018 at 4:10 p.m.

Dr. Craig Phillips ’93, bass singer with the twice Grammy-nominated vocal ensemble New York Polyphony and University of Oregon music professor, is making national news for restoring the musical legacy of The Revelers, an early 20th-century vocal group.

“In 2015, I located the ‘lost songs’ of a singing group that was very popular on record and radio during the 1920s and '30s called The Revelers,” said Phillips, a graduate of Appalachian State University’s Hayes School of Music.

Stashed in the attic of a Redding, Connecticut, home, were nine wooden crates full of dusty, handwritten scores containing more than 500 of the group’s signature, unpublished arrangements, Phillips said. They belonged to a descendent of one of The Revelers’ members, who Phillips found through the comments section of a blog.

He calls his research The Revelers Project. “Since their discovery, I’ve worked to reconstruct/rebuild the arrangements so that the songs can be performed by modern musicians. Last week, in New York City, I staged an informal revival of select songs from The Revelers collection. It was a big success,” he said.

View larger image

The Revelers, circa 1929, with touring pianist Frank Banta Jr. From left, Lewis James, Elliott Shaw, Wilfred Glenn and James Melton. Photo courtesy of Craig Phillips

View larger image

Circa 1930, this image shows The Revelers performing live for NBC Radio. Craig Phillips ’93 describes this as his favorite photo of the vocal group, pointing out the single microphone used to record the singers, piano and orchestra. Photo courtesy of Craig Phillips

Music critic and blogger David Patrick Stearns agreed the National Opera Center performance July 11 was a success, writing “the neo-Revelers pulled it off.”

In describing Phillips’ research project, Stearns also wrote, “Attic music speaks quietly — and with wide-open possibilities. A secret garden, perhaps? ... For the past three years or so, he has researched how The Revelers tumbled from the ultimate mainstream fame to complete obscurity.”

News media coverage of Phillips’ research
  • Resurrecting The Revelers: A Eugene musician is bringing back long-forgotten music
    Eugene Weekly
  • UO prof preps for revival of The Revelers after discovery of rare music
    The Register-Guard
  • Oregon professor finds rare music; revives The Revelers
    The Seattle Times
  • Oregon professor finds rare music; revives The Revelers
    Associated Press

Phillips said the original group disbanded in 1940. After a reboot with new members in 1947, The Revelers toured until 1955 and then faded away.

“Because their recorded output predated the invention of magnetic tape by nearly two decades, their music was not properly anthologized and therefore consigned to obsolete, low-fidelity shellac 78s,” Phillips said.

The signature arrangements that propelled The Revelers to worldwide fame in the 1920s and ’30s were retired, never published and effectively lost, he said.

After the attic discovery, Phillips converted the autograph material into modern musical scores, which has required interpreting composer intent from original charts, reconstructing missing or fragmentary material, and verifying content against extant audio media.

Phillips, who majored in music performance, said he’s been thrilled to bring back to life the works of the most successful vocal ensemble from what’s known as the “electrical period,” he said.

“They were integral both to the mainstreaming of jazz and to the promotion of American songwriters Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers and Cole Porter among others,” he said.

View larger image

Hayes School of Music alumnus Dr. Craig Phillips ’93, University of Oregon music professor and founding member of the vocal quartet New York Polyphony. Photo by Chris Owyoung

About Craig Phillips

Director of The Revelers Project, bass baritone Craig Phillips is a founding member of the twice Grammy-nominated male vocal quartet New York Polyphony. Founded in 2006, the ensemble tours extensively, participating in major concert series and festivals around the world. Outside of New York Polyphony, Phillips is an established opera and concert soloist. He has performed a wide range of repertoire with companies including Glimmerglass Opera, Florida Grand Opera, New York City Opera and Boston Lyric Opera. In 2017, Phillips joined the faculty of the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance as assistant professor of voice and vocal pedagogy.

News media coverage of Phillips’ research
  • Resurrecting The Revelers: A Eugene musician is bringing back long-forgotten music
    Eugene Weekly
  • UO prof preps for revival of The Revelers after discovery of rare music
    The Register-Guard
  • Oregon professor finds rare music; revives The Revelers
    The Seattle Times
  • Oregon professor finds rare music; revives The Revelers
    Associated Press
“Lucky Day!” (The Revelers, 1926)
“Lucky Day!” (The Revelers, 1926)

The Revelers’ “Lucky Day” is said to be one of the finest – and most cheerful – collaborations by songwriters Ray Henderson, Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown.

Listen now
A Grad’s Musical Journey — Trumpet to Opera to Acclaimed New York Polyphony
A Grad’s Musical Journey — Trumpet to Opera to Acclaimed New York Polyphony
Hayes School of Music
Oct. 1, 2013

Craig Phillips '93 is the bass singer with New York Polyphony, a men's early music quartet. (Polyphony, as described by one of the singers, literally means "many sounds," but it's essentially the interplay of individual lines that come together in perfect unity.) The quartet's new CD is "Times go by Turns," the group's follow-up album to one of The New Yorker's Top Ten Notable Classical Music Recordings of 2012.

Read the story
Where can an App State degree take you?
Where can an App State degree take you?

Anywhere you want to go! Appalachian State University generates passionate and engaged alumni, who become leaders in their communities and chosen professions. They exemplify how an App State education can and does make the world a better place.

Learn more

About the Hayes School of Music

The Hayes School of Music prepares young musicians for professional lives as performers, composers, music educators, music therapists, conductors and music industry professionals, ensuring the next generation of musical leadership for the state, region and nation. Noted for quality instruction by national and internationally recognized faculty musicians, the school offers four undergraduate degree programs and three graduate-level programs. Learn more at https://music.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Share

Topics

  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Community Engagement

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Share

Topics

  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Community Engagement

Other Recent Posts

  • 4 new and reappointed App State Board of Trustees members to begin new terms July 1
    4 new and reappointed App State Board of Trustees members to begin new terms July 1
  • App State awards degrees to over 4,200 graduates ready to shape the future
    App State awards degrees to over 4,200 graduates ready to shape the future
  • Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
    Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
  • Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
    Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
  • N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
    N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
  • App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction
    App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction
  • App State to offer AI concentration in master’s programs [faculty featured]
    App State to offer AI concentration in master’s programs [faculty featured]
    WFDD
  • Campus emergency siren test to be conducted May 7
    Campus emergency siren test to be conducted May 7
  • App State students help restore national wildlife refuge as part of Alternative Service Experience
    App State students help restore national wildlife refuge as part of Alternative Service Experience
  • Dr. Neva J. Specht appointed App State executive vice chancellor and provost
    Dr. Neva J. Specht appointed App State executive vice chancellor and provost
  • $2 million grant funds scholarships, supports STEM education for over 50 App State students
    $2 million grant funds scholarships, supports STEM education for over 50 App State students
  • App State named Military Friendly School for 16th consecutive year, ranked a top 10 institution for 2025–26
    App State named Military Friendly School for 16th consecutive year, ranked a top 10 institution for 2025–26

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • COVID updates
  • Contact

App State

Copyright 2025 Appalachian State University. All rights reserved.

University Communications
ASU Box 32153
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-6156
[email protected]

Abouts

Disclaimer | EO Policy | Accessibility | Website manager: montaldipa (beltmr) .. | Website Feedback

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Snapchat