Jeff Holdsworth

Jeff Holdsworth
Holdsworth, in Albany, 2003
Background information
OriginBryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active
  • 1983–1986
  • 2003
Formerly ofPhish

Jeff Holdsworth is a musician who was a founding member of the rock band Phish.[1] Founded at the Redstone campus dormitories of the University of Vermont (UVM) in the fall of 1983, the band originally featured Holdsworth and Trey Anastasio sharing lead vocal and guitar duties, Jon Fishman on drums, and Mike Gordon on bass guitar. Holdsworth left the band in 1986 after graduating from UVM to pursue a career in electrical engineering, shortly before the band recorded their debut self-produced album, The White Tape, though he had played on some of the demo recordings (done in a dorm room) that would later be re-recorded for that album. His songs "Possum" and "Camel Walk" continue to be Phish live show favorites.

After a transformative journey to Alaska in the summer of 1986, Holdsworth settled in the Philadelphia area and decided to pursue purely acoustic music within a spiritual context.[2]

On December 1, 2003, at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York, one night before the band's 20th Anniversary concert, Holdsworth appeared onstage with Phish for the first time in 17 years, performing several of his originals and a few covers.[3] During his sit in, he performed on both the Phish originals the band continues to perform, "Camel Walk" and "Possum."[4]

  1. ^ Foundation, Mockingbird (2004-06-01). The Phish companion: a guide to the band and their music. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 5–. ISBN 978-0-87930-799-8. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  2. ^ Puterbaugh, Parke (2010). Phish: The Biography. Da Capo Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780306819209.
  3. ^ "Flashback: Phish Welcomes Former Guitarist Jeff Holdsworth During 20th Anniversary Run". Live For Live Music. L4LM. December 1, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  4. ^ "Phish Co-Founder Returns to the Stage With The Group After 17 Year Absence; Holdsworth Seeded Extended 12/1/84". Jambands. 2003-12-02. Retrieved 2023-07-04.