He toured internationally with Minnie Riperton, Barry Manilow, George Benson, John Rowles, and Demis Roussos as musical director/guitarist, and has co-written a Top 10 Billboard R&B single.
Board positions include: • President, Australian Guild of Screen Composers, 2001 ~ 2008 • Board Director, AMPAL, 2023 ~ Current • Councillor (Film & TV), Music Council Australia, 2005 ~ 2019 • Academic Board Member, Universal Business School Sydney & Academy of Phillips's career began in the early 1970s in Los Angeles, where he was a session guitarist, composer, and orchestrator working and recording for popular artists Barry Manilow, Minnie Riperton, Demis Roussos, The Carpenters, Smokey Robinson, Dory Previn, Burl Ives, The Lettermen.
He wrote the R & B single "Here We Go" for Minnie Riperton and co-wrote the Motown Records release "Now That I Have You" for artist Teena Marie.
A highlight of his most recent scoring credits include the television series Missing Persons Unit (series 1–5), Catalyst, The Lost Treasure of Fiji (Pirate Islands), Dead Tired (two-part series), Made In China, The Secret Lives Of Sleepwalkers, Outback House, the telemovie Reprisal, Neighbours, The Flying Vet, Guiding Light, Secrets, The Fatal Bond, Signal One—Bullet Down Under, and Sher Mountain Mystery.
In 2006 Phillips's composition "Floating", from U.S. recording artist Megan Rochell, achieved Billboard's Top 40 R & B chart position.