TAYLOR PHILLIPS: Despite success, helping Lee County remains a priority
Dec. 26—Taylor Phillips is a man on fire, thanks to his songwriting talent that has catapulted him to the top of country music charts.
He's one of the collaborators on "World of Fire," the smash hit for Nashville recording artist Nate Smith that has vaulted into the Top 10 country music charts. The song reached the top spot last week on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
It's familiar territory for Phillips who has penned or helped write six No. 1 hits. Another song, "Love You Again," recorded by Chase Matthews, is climbing the charts.
His success comes after he took a leap of faith and headed to Nashville about 10 years ago, after graduating from Lee County High School, with a pickup truck and a U-Haul trailer.
"I embarked on a blindfolded journey back in 2013 in pursuit of something in the music business and never really knowing where my feet would land," Phillips, 34, said in a recent interview. "I kind of just took a leap of faith.
"I loved country music, I knew that I was a fan of the genre, for sure. I was a fan of going to concerts. I was like, what kind of life would be better for a small-town kid whose never really left his hometown."
He found his footing soon enough, working with various artists, touring with them, and helping to sell merchandise at concerts. It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but it proved to be a great way to network.
"I met a guy named Ricky Young and I always sing his praises," Phillips said. "He was one of the first people I really toured with. He called me one day and said, 'Hey man, come write a song with me.'
"I said I don't even know what that is or how to do that. I went over there that day and he kind of walked me through the lyric aspect of writing a song and it's kind of at that point, I fell in love with the process," Phillips said.
Young recorded the first song Phillips wrote.
"I kind of fell in love with the feeling of being a part of something that came to life," he recalled. "Soon after that it became an addiction."
Phillips has more than 100 recorded songs in his catalog. Another of his successful collaborations was the hit "I Like Country Music," the smash song recorded by Kane Brown a couple years ago.
"It's been a crazy, crazy journey," Phillips said.
His biggest fan is his mother, Joan Phillips, who has supported her son on his path to success.
"She's proud, I like to think," Phillips said. "She was definitely a believer. A lot of people weren't. She was in my corner 100%. I don't know if she believed in what I was doing. I think she just believed in me as a person."
The music business wasn't the path Phillips was planning to take.
While in high school, Phillips volunteered with the Pocket Fire Department. As soon as he graduated, Phillips enrolled in the firefighting program at Fayetteville Technical College and earned his certification. He went on to get certified as an EMT and began working at the Sunset Beach Fire Department.
"I kind of fell in love with helping people," Phillips said. "I loved the aspect of helping people. It was exciting to me, and it was satisfying. I was never looking for any reward, but it was easy to go to sleep at night knowing I did a good deed for somebody."
He splits time between Nashville and Lee County, but Phillips hasn't left firefighting behind. He remains active in the Pocket Fire Department when he's in town, maintaining his certification and answering calls when needed.
It's one of the ways he gives back to the community.
He's done the same with three benefit concerts — the most recent on Dec. 10 — to draw awareness to suicide and prevention.
The concerts are done to honor and in memory of Brian Kindle, a close friend. Kindle, a Broadway resident, took his own life on Christmas Eve in 2020. It was a gut punch for Phillips.
The concert this year was held on a Sunday night. On Monday morning, Phillips and several artists who took part in the benefit concert handled bell-ringing duties for The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Drive in front of the Lowe's Food Store.
Each time someone dropped money in the kettle, the groups broke into cheers, posed for a selfie with the donor and raised $1,000.
No matter his success, Phillips remains dedicated to Lee County and its residents.
After all, it's home.
"If I'm willing and healthy and, God willing, I'm healthy enough to continue to do it, I would pray that somebody would be there for me if the roles were reversed," Phillips said.
