A chat with Josh Phillips

It was a simple question: “So, how did you all get together?”

Josh Phillips, founder of a musicians ‘super group’, Blue Water Giants, said: “Well, that’s quite a story! Let’s have a chat.”

Josh, along with Neil Taylor, John ‘Rhino’ Edwards, Sam Tanner, Freddie Edwards and Craig Alexander, were on the Island over the weekend, playing as part of the RNLI’s 200th birthday and Yarmouth RNLI’s 100th birthday celebrations, at Yarmouth’s Royal Solent Yacht Club.

Between them they have played with music royalty including Robbie Williams, Status Quo, Tears for Fears, Tina Turner, Dexys Midnight Runners, James Morrison, Chris de Burgh, Rod Stewart, Roger Daltry and Mick Hucknall.

Josh first played keyboard with Procol Harum in 1983 and, later, between 2004 and 2022. He said: “We lost a couple of big tours due to Covid, and then the band’s founder and lead singer, Gary Brooker, passed away in 2022, and everything ground to a halt.

“I moved down to Hamble and was basically in retirement, but the commodore of the Royal Southern Yacht Club asked me to use my contacts and put together a band for a regatta they were holding around a year ago.

“So I started asking around and for our first gig we had John Isley, of Dire Straits, join us. Our other members include Rhino, who has toured all over the world for years with Status Quo, and is off with them again later this month. And there is Neil Taylor, who played guitar on ‘Steamy Windows’ with Tina Turner.

“We only play records of the people we have played with, or records we have played on, so there are lots of classics.

“We hope to do a few more gigs over the summer, and may come back to the Island to play Cowes later in the season, so we’re hoping to return here at some time.”