Sam 'Sluggo' Phipps
Sam "Sluggo" Phipps is an American saxophone player, best known for being a member of the new wave band Oingo Boingo. Sam Phipps was born in Los Angeles, California. He played piano and trombone from an early age, but an interest in surf rock lead him to begin playing saxophone at age 15. Between 1971 and 1972, Phipps attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. Prior to the formation of Oingo Boingo, Phipps met future members Danny Elfman and Leon Schneiderman while they were friends of his sister. While performing in Europe with singer and pianist Annette Peacock, Phipps was contacted by Richard Elfman and asked to return to the United States to play with the then theater group The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. He played tenor and soprano saxophone, clarinet, flute, percussion, and provided occasional backing vocals for Oingo Boingo from 1973 until the band's breakup in 1995. Oingo Boingo's odd mixture of pop, rock, ska, and varying world musical styles often featured the band's brass and woodwind instruments, giving Phipps the opportunity to perform solos that are reminiscent of the band's more theatrical and traditional origins. During the early years of Oingo Boingo, Phipps recorded an album of original avant-garde jazz compositions entitled Animal Sounds with pianist John Larkin. Following the breakup of Oingo Boingo, Phipps, along with Oingo Boingo members John Avila, Steve Bartek, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez, and Doug Lacy formed the rock group Doug & the Mystics, who released their first and currently only album in 1995. Although former Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman has stated that there will not be a full reunion, several other members, including Phipps, continue to perform with the band Oingo Boingo Former Members, led by drummer Johnny Vatos, playing songs from their Oingo Boingo career with vocalist Brendan McCreary. Phipps appeared as a member of Satan's band, alongside The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, in the 1980 film Forbidden Zone during the group's transformation period between being a theater group and becoming a rock band. With Oingo Boingo, he appeared in the Rodney Dangerfield film Back to School, the punk documentary Urgh! A Music War, and Longshot, as well as the music videos included in The Best of Oingo Boingo: Skeletons in the Closet and Farewell: Live from the Universal Amphitheater, Halloween 1995. He also had a cameo alongside bandmate Steve Bartek in the 1998 comedy film Meet the Deedles, for which Bartek composed original music.
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Back to School
as Oingo Boingo Band MemberSelf-made millionaire Thornton Melon decides to get a better education and enrolls at his son...
Movie pageOingo Boingo: Farewell (Live from the Universal Amphitheatre)
as SelfOingo Boingo's Farewell Concert at the Universal Amphitheatre.
Movie pageOingo Boingo: 1983 US Festival
as uncreditedFilmed at Glen Helen Park in Devore, CA on May 18, 1983 between 2:40 and 3:40 PM.
Movie pageOingo Boingo: Halloween '87
as HimselfDanny Elfman and Co.’s run of multi-night Halloween stands at Irivne Meadows from 1986 to 1991...
Movie pageOingo Boingo: Live at the Ritz
as Self - Tenor SaxAn MTV special featuring new wave band Oingo Boingo performing live at the Ritz rock club in New...
Movie pageOingo Boingo: Skeletons in the Closet
as Himself, Head Served On A PlateA music video compilation was also released by A&M Records alongside the album. It contained (in...
Movie page