Nicholas Stephen Phillips (born 18 February 1948) is an English blues and country musician,[1] as well as guitar maker (under the name "N.S.

He is mainly renowned for being part of the supergroup The Notting Hillbillies along with the Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler and Brendan Croker.

[2] Phillips was born in London, England, on 18 February 1948, but when still a child his family moved to Leeds, where he has lived for most of his life.

Through this group, Phillips achieved a wider recognition that allowed him to go on releasing his full solo albums and to enhance his career.

(These recordings are difficult to find outside the UK, despite the fact that Phillips is internationally known as a blues singer and guitarist and has undertaken several overseas tours, notably in Italy, Spain and Scandinavia).

In 1996, Just Pickin' was released; an album that gathered previously unreleased demos with Easy Mr Steve's Bootleggers, Mark Knopfler, Brendan Croker and other musicians.

When not touring, Steve and The Rough Diamonds play most Tuesday nights at the Grosvenor Hotel in Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire.

These paintings are notable for their treatment of North Yorkshire's distinctive but elusive light, and have a luminous quality which renders them instantly recognisable as his work.

The National Style O which Knopfler uses in songs such as "Romeo & Juliet" and which became a Dire Straits emblem following its appearance on the cover of the Brothers in Arms album, was sold by Phillips in 1980.