The Songwriter Sings

For two decades in Los Angeles, singer-songwriter Phil Roy wrote songs for other singers. But now, back in his native Philadelphia, he's found his own voice.

The New York Times describes Roy's music as "midway between folk and soul, conveying a piercing honesty."

His latest CD, "Issues + Options" was described by the Times as, "one of the most satisfying albums of 2003."

Roy performed some singles from the new album on The Saturday Early Show's Second Cup Café.

Roy started playing guitar in high school, in groups with names such as Relayer, and The Wild Spaceship, playing covers of The Stones and "Frankenstein" by Edgar Winter. He later went to Boston to study at the Berklee School of Music. It was there, he says, that he found that he was a better songwriter than an instrumentalist.

Soon afterwards, he went to Los Angeles and formed a pop-rock band called Carrera, which was signed by Warner Brothers. But, the band wasn't a success.

After some odd jobs, Roy became a staff writer for music publishers and gained name recognition.

Ray Charles covered Roy's "My World," which became the title cut from Charles's 1993 Warner Brothers album. Joe Cocker sang "The Simple Things" on his album, "Have a Little Faith." Aaron Neville recorded "My Brother, My Brother" for "The Grand Tour," which was his most successful solo album.

In 2000, Roy stepped in front of the mike to make "grouchyfriendly." It had modest sales, even without a distributor. The making of the album, Roy says, started his new career as performer, which was followed with his current record, "Issues + Options."