Phil King (musician)
The steady bassist whose melodic underpinnings helped shape the dreamy soundscapes of the seminal shoegaze band Lush.
Born 1960 (age 66)·English musician·Birthday: April 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Emerging from the vibrant London indie scene of the late 1980s, Phil King provided the foundational low end for Lush, a band that became a cornerstone of the shoegaze and Britpop movements. His bass lines were never mere background; they were melodic, propulsive counterpoints to the band's wash of guitars and ethereal vocals, evident on albums like 'Spooky' and 'Split.' After Lush's initial dissolution, King became a sought-after session and touring musician, most notably with the influential noise-pop pioneers The Jesus and Mary Chain, adding stability to their famously volatile live shows across two lengthy stints. A musician's musician, King operated with a quiet professionalism, his contributions essential to the texture and drive of some of alternative rock's most defining bands.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Phil was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Phil Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Phil's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the bassist for the influential shoegaze band Lush from 1989 to 1996.
- Toured extensively as the bass and rhythm guitarist for The Jesus and Mary Chain from 1997-1998 and again from 2007-2015.
- Performed on Lush's critically acclaimed albums 'Spooky' (1992) and 'Split' (1994).
- His musical work contributed to the defining sound of the UK shoegaze scene in the early 1990s.
Did You Know?
He was also a member of the band Felt for a brief period in the late 1980s.
After Lush, he worked in music publishing before returning to touring with The Jesus and Mary Chain.
He is known for using a Fender Precision Bass as his primary instrument.
He played on the 1998 Jesus and Mary Chain album 'Munki'.
“The bass should be a hook you can hum, not just a thump you feel.”
