Music lover honoured despite not playing a note
Philip Stevens is a "lovable dag" who cannot play a note and, from next Friday, he will also be a member of the WA Music Hall of Fame.
The John Butler Trio, San Cisco and the Waifs' manager will be honoured at the WA Music Awards, alongside Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman bassist, Martyn P. Casey, who also played with legendary Perth band the Triffids.
Both local luminaries were born in England before settling in Fremantle and forging impressive careers in music.
"It's fantastic," Stevens, 53, said of joining the Waifs and other WA stars in the Hall of Fame.
"It's a great honour to be recognised as someone who's brought something to the musical community."
Stevens was not involved in the music industry in Britain before moving to Fremantle in 1983 as a "wannabe windsurfer".
Inspired by Bob Geldof's Live Aid, he organised the Free Aid for Africa charity gig at the Old Melbourne Hotel in the mid-1980s, raising $3500.
After running a couple of rowdy house parties in Fremantle, Stevens started promoting more legitimate gigs in the 90s. His company Jazz Dive brought blues and world music acts such as Screaming Jay Hawkins, Buddy Guy and Angelique Kidjo, as well as top Australian acts, to town.
A Kate Ceberano concert proved profitable and Stevens, who was also working as a decorator, realised he could make a living doing what he loved.
Stevens started managing Butler in 1998, the same year he and wife Anna Chiovitti bought Mojos, revitalising the North Fremantle bar as a live music venue.
"Phil is a soul man," Butler said from Houston, Texas where he was starting his latest US tour. "He sees magic and wants to share it with others. His tools are passion, belief, soul and an insatiable competitive spirit.
"He's honest, hardworking and a lovable dag."
Butler revealed that he has never signed a management contract with Stevens, who runs their highly successful independent label Jarrah Records.
The quietly spoken music lover has guided Albany-born folk-trio the Waifs since 2001 and Fremantle pop darlings San Cisco for the past six years.
"Phil came from a grassroots level and had to learn things as he went along," Vicki Thorn of the Waifs said yesterday. He also managed ARIA Award-winning local band Little Birdy for four years from 2003.
San Cisco drummer and Stevens' daughter Scarlett said her father was a "great mentor and friend".
"He connects with people on a personal level and builds long-lasting relationships," she said yesterday.
Scarlett said Stevens was fair and always polite despite working in a cutthroat industry. "He's a great dad as well," she said.
Stevens said career highlights thus far include seeing John Butler Trio play to 9000 fans at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, helping organise star-studded 2005 fundraising concert Wave Aid and seeing his acts win major awards.
The Hall of Fame recognition is far from a full-stop on his management career.
San Cisco release their second album in March, Butler continues to build an enormous international fan base and the reunited Waifs plan to record and tour next year.
"I'm very proud of what they've achieved and if we have helped in any shape or form to make their journeys successful, then that makes me very proud," Stevens said.
