Arts & Entertainment

Nashville Roots Musician Phil Lee Performing at Cultural Center

The performance will be on Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road.

This just in from the Carrollwood Cultural Center:

Nashville singer-songwriter Phil Lee will perform his original roots and rockabilly music at the Carrollwood Cultural Center at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. Singer Pete Gallagher will open the show.

Lee’s wry wit is woven effortlessly into many of his songs, so audiences should be prepared to laugh until it hurts – but also shed a few tears when they hear Lee's poignant lyrics. 

Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Associated Press lauded Lee as “combining the social consciousness of Woody Guthrie with the twisted fury of Jerry Lee Lewis.”

"I didn't write 'Great Balls of Fire,' but I could have if I'd gotten here in time," Lee said.

Find out what's happening in Carrollwood-Northdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Singing with no apologies -- and certainly no regrets -- Lee can easily catch you off guard, moving seamlessly from blues to a Beatles-influenced tune.  Plus Lee peppers his performance with a healthy dose of self-deprecating humor.

Lee's voice is a reedy twin to Bob Dylan, and his storylines sometimes etch the best and worst of people living five days ahead of flat broke.  Lee describes himself as  "one man, one guitar and a bag of great songs about love and death, misplaced faith, discarded spaceships, hard times and the funny side of all that."

In spring 2013, Lee will release his new CD, Fall and Further Decline of the Mighty King of Love, and recently completed a DVD of his live show at San Francisco's famous Purple Onion.

Truly, Lee has lived much of the colorful life about which he writes and sings. The songwriter was born in Durham, and was briefly a member of Flying Burrito Brothers before landing in Nashville several years ago. In-between, he lived on the road, not as a musician, but as a long-haul trucker. Lee's musicianship includes mastering vocals, guitar, drums and harmonica.

All performances will be at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, located at 4537 Lowell Road in Tampa. Tickets can be purchased at the box office, online at www.CarrollwoodCenter.org, or by calling (813) 269-1310.

To learn more about Phil Lee, visit his website at http://phillee1.com.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Carrollwood-Northdale