Artist description Guitar, Bass, Drums, Harmonica and Vocals make for an easy going, upbeat and fun sound.

Music Style Childrens Pop/Rock

Musical Influences Harry Chapin, Bruce Springsteen

Artist History From "The Big Black Hat Family Concert Series"

Group Members Phil Celia

Instruments Guitar, Bass, Drums, Harmonica and Vocals

Albums Big Black Hat

Press Reviews Phil Celia's Big Black Hat Family ConcertSinger/songwriter, recording artist and actor Phil Celia is always onto something new, special and different. His wife, two children and friends can’t keep up. Find Phil at a party and ask him what he’s been up to, you might be there a long, long time. Phil has worn many hats in his career and now you can see him and sing with him in his new black hat as he takes his "Family Concert" to center stage. So how did this cat in the hat get like that?Phil grew up on Long Island where he used to entertain his neighborhood by putting on "basement productions." These included stand up comedy routines and the entire version of Alice’s Restaurant, a long ‘60’s anthem that he heard in his 7th grade English class. That song changed his life. IT was at that time that he also found many of his influences. He tells the story of being a 16 year old and a big fan of Harry Chapin. "I’ll never forget it" he said, "I got his number right out of the phone book, I called him up and this guy answers the phone. I said is Mr. Chapin there? And he say’s ‘Yes this is Harry.' I about died! I told him I was a big fan and that I would love to meet him. He invited me and my brother to come to his house in Huntington, Long Island and watch ‘Make a Wish,' a show his brother Tom had at the time on Sunday mornings. His wife Sandy cooked us 'Rainbow Pancakes’ for breakfast and Harry told all about how he got started. He would actually buy time to play in clubs and pay people to come hear him!"Phil headed west when he was nineteen. He landed in Hollywood in the mid-70’s, got himself a cheap apartment and embarked on a musical journey. Shortly after that, Phil was playing the club circuit with bands like The Knack, The Motels, The Police and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers."I was in a total of three bands all of which came real close to major label deals, but it never happened. Finally, I became friendly with a guy that owned a recording studio and he introduced me to the world of recording. I spent the next several years working the graveyard shift and recording every punk rock group west of the Mississippi. Finally, I had the opportunity to work with some great people.Feeling the need to get back into performing, and donning a new hat, Phil set his sights on acting. He enrolled in a rigorous training program at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles and began receiving small parts in commercials, television and film."I had just turned 29 and my first son Matthew was less than a year old. I had a home studio and would work out there writing and recording and I was getting a little attention as an actor but found myself no longer fitting in. I wanted more quality time with my family and to raise them in a healthier environment than the rat race of LA. So I moved to Connecticut which was close enough to NY so I could continue with my training as an actor. After beating the streets of New York for six years, working on Off-Broadway, teaching acting and doing a guest star role in an action adventure series I had enough. It was a new rat race and the rat was winning! It was time for yet another change and another hat. "The choice was to move to Hanover, New Hampshire. "Why Hanover?" I asked him. "There’s a real sense of community here and a wonderful academic environment. It’s a family town with influences from all around the world."Since he’s been here his career has once again blossomed. "It could have been timing, or maybe seeing my children grow up in a healthy environment. They love it here, it’s so beautiful. Since I’ve moved here I’ve done some work I’m really proud of. My writing has been more prolific and I’ve released my first adult contemporary CD titled "Songs of Men" a collection of songs I’ve been working on for a long time."With last year’s release of "Big Black Hat" a family oriented recording, Phil though to take his performance to more people with the though of helping charitable organizations. "One thing Harry Chapin taught me is that if you can, ‘you should play one night for you and the next night for the other guy.' That’s something that has always been important to me and hopefully the work I do with my family concerts can help to make a difference. Connecting with people and having a great time while helping out is what my show is all about."

Location Hanover, NH - USA

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