Shawn Phillips is an American singer-songwriter and musician, primarily influential in the 1960s and 1970s. His work is rooted in folk rock but straddles other genres, including jazz fusion and funk. Phillips has recorded twenty-eight albums and worked with musicians including Donovan, Paul Buckmaster, J. Peter Robinson, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Bernie Taupin, Tim Hardin, Manos Hatzidakis and many others.
Rock impresario Bill Graham described the Texas-born musician as "the best kept secret in the music business". Phillips' AllMusic biography states: "His refusal to pigeonhole his music - which seamlessly melds folk, rock, jazz, funk, progressive, pop, electro, classical, and global folk traditions - to meet anyone else's expectations allowed him to retain his cult following without ever achieving the stardom that his talent seemed to merit."