Phil Bates

Phil Bates is a former member of ELO Part II and was born in Warwickshire, UK. His first contact with ELO came in 1978 when his band, Trickster, supported ELO during the Out Of The Blue tour. He joined ELO Part II in the spring of 1993 and quickly became popular with the fans. He wrote a number of songs on ELO Part II's second album "Moment Of Truth", most notably "Breaking Down The Walls" which was released as a single.

Phil also released a solo album, "Naked", during this period and embarked on a small "intimate venue" tour to promote the CD which also featured Mik Kaminski on a handful of tracks. Mik also joined him on stage during the tour along with Mark Knight (bass) and Phil's wife Jo.

1996 saw the release of the ELO Part II live album, "One Night - Live in Australia", which Phil was heavily involved with. Phil co-produced the album and edited it alongside top engineer Chris Tsangerides. Phil also featured on the "Access All Areas" DVD, most of which was recorded in Australia during the "One Night" tour.

In 1998 Phil decided to leave the band to spend time with his young family and also to further his education. He released a number of solo albums during this time. Phil was also a founding member of "The Eleanor Rigby Experience" which was formed from a group of musicians from around the midlands area who were devoted to re-interpreting the songs of Lennon and McCartney. Later he rejoined his old drummer colleague, Bev Bevan, when he formed the "Bev Bevan Band" which later became "Bev Bevan's Move".

During The Orchestra's 2006 UK tour, Phil stood in for Parthenon Huxley at a couple of gigs when Hux had to return unexpectedly to the States. When Parthenon Huxley decided to leave the band in 2007 there was only one name at the top of the list to replace him...Phil Bates.