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Phil Stephens

American jazz bassist and tuba player (born April 24 1907 in Atlanta, Georgia – died May 29, 1996 in Los Angeles, California). Born to a Greek immigrant merchant in Atlanta, Georgia, Stephens, a self-taught musician, toured with [a=Tommy Dorsey And His Orchestra] in the late 1930s and early 1940s. It was Tommy Dorsey who awarded him his nickname Phil "The Chief" Stephens. Stephens performed for more than 30 years and recorded together with, e.g., [a=Artie Shaw], [a=Charlie Barnet], [a254893], [a301368], and [a311166]. As a Hollywood studio musician, Stephens also accompanied some of the best-known singers of his time, such as [a164571], [a=Peggy Lee], and [a10533] (with Martin, he recorded "Memories Are Made of This"). At the opening of Disneyland in 1956, he played with the Elliot Brothers Band on Main Street.