Utah Phillips and The Long Memory

Yes, the long memory is the most radical idea in this country. It is the loss of that long memory which deprives our people of that connective flow of thoughts and events that clarifies our vision, not of where we're going, but where we want to go." - U. Utah Phillips

Loafer's Glory was originally broadcast from KVMR in Nevada City, Ca. These broadcasts are a collage of rants, poetry, tales, and reminiscences mixed in with little known music and talk from over 1,000 tapes of everything under the sun, from tramping and labor (historic and contemporary ) to baseball and old friends... from unreleased Lord Buckley to animals, children, tall tales, Paul Robeson, and most of what you need to know about life on the open road... and always music.

Our hope is that The Long Memory Project will be the building block towards establishing a permanent, non-profit archive for the works of Bruce "Utah" Phillips that will be easily accessible to the public. Some of the projects currently underway are the republication of Utah's original song book "Starlight On The Rails", making the one hundred episodes of "Loafer's Glory" available for download and rebroadcast, and a tribute CD from the artisans and organizers influenced by Utah from the state that Bruce always considered home, Utah. All the proceeds from these ongoing projects as well as donations will be used for this sole purpose. A portion will also go towards the day to day operations of the Hospitality House A Community Shelter fo the Homeless.

The new 246 page songbook contains eighty four songs as well as the stories, in Utah's own words, that accompany most of the songs. The book also includes a collection of thirty or so photographs of Uath over the years.

Utah's Place, named after the late Hospitality House co-founder and homeless advocate Bruce “Utah” Phillips, also will include a memorial library featuring some of his books, papers and music, said Phillips' widow and current board president, Joanna Robinson. Read more

Our CD, co-produced by Kate MacLeod, has
been nominated for best tribute album in the 2012 Independent Music Awards. The winners will be announced on April 7, 2012.