Phillip Edwin Lionel Shutt (31 March 1951 – 14 March 2018), known professionally as Phil Curtis, was an English session musician and bass guitarist known for his work with Arthur Brown, Kiki Dee, Steve Gibbons, Larry Carlton, Chris Rea, Gilbert O'Sullivan, John Morgan, Denny Laine, Steve Marriott, The Bay City Rollers and many others.

Phil also rehearsed with Thunderclap Newman around this period but decided against joining the group - the band went onto have a #1 single with Something In The Air.

In the early days of the group Phil, Arthur Brown and Andy Dalby lived together in a band commune in Beckenham and occasionally crossed paths with a young David Bowie.

Phil helped cement the title "Journey", as Arthur Brown explained in the liner notes for the 2010 re-release: "I had this song which had the line ‘I’m going on a journey/I’m not coming back’, and it was Phil who suggested we call the album Journey – and we never really did come back.” [6] The band were renowned for their theatrical stage shows and exuberant costumes.

"[8] Author and journalist Mark Paytress said the album "remains a classic of pioneering electronic rock, up there with Kraftwerk and assorted krautrock trailblazers.

"[7] Phil's time with Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come culminated in 3 BBC Radio 1 John Peel Show Sessions in 1971 and 1972.

[13] Phil also contributed bass to Kiki Dee's 1977 self-titled album, performing on the songs "Chicago" and "First Thing In The Morning".

[15] The Kiki Dee Band travelled alongside Elton John's entourage in The Starship, the renovated Boeing 720-022 private jet used by Led Zeppelin for their 1975 US Tour:“No more messing about at airports this was first class all the way.

He later joined Elton John and the band onstage for renditions of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" and "I Saw Her Standing There".

The band were joined onstage by Elton John as a surprise guest at St George's Hall in Bradford on 21 November 1976.

The support band for this tour was the Vapour Trails, who Phil also played bass for alongside fellow former Kingdom Come member Andy Dalby on guitar and John McBurnie on vocals.

Phil appeared numerous times on Top of the Pops with Kiki and the band in 1974 and 1975 performing "I’ve Got The Music in Me".

The band were featured on BBC Sight and Sound on 26 February 1976, performing 12 songs at The Hippodrome in Golders Green, London.

[18] Phil played bass on the debut album "Tiger" which was released by Warner Brothers in the US and EMI in the UK.

Phil formed his own band called Vapour Trails with friends and musicians he had met during his time with Arthur Brown and Kiki Dee.

[19] The core members were John McBurnie on vocals (The Kiki Dee Band) and Andy Dalby (Kingdom Come) on guitar.

Other musicians involved in the group included English keyboardist Brian Chatton and Wings drummer Steve Holley.

Phil's career as a session player in the 1960s and 1970s saw him work with many notable artists, including Chris Rea (on his critically acclaimed debut album “Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?”), Gilbert O’Sullivan and The Bay City Rollers, who Phil toured Japan with as part of their backing band during the 1970s.

In the 1990s Phil wrote jingles for Television & Radio as well as working as a sound engineer for various local studios in Torquay and other areas in Devon.

[19] Phil was a member of The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet, a Devon-based band formed by Brian "Zero" Abbott and Daevid Allen of Gong in 1992.

The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet also performed live with Gong founder Daevid Allen in 2013 and also with Arthur Brown in 2015.

"[24] In his final years Phil spent time in Los Angeles, reuniting with old music friends and collaborating on new work as well as doing more bass sessions.

Following news of his death Kiki Dee posted a tribute to Phil on her official Twitter account: "I am sad to say Phil Curtis Bass player with the original Kiki Dee band passed away last week, he was a true character and a great musician, plus always fun to be with.