In 1982 Ron Romanovsky and Paul Phillips made their debut at San Francisco’s Valencia Rose Cafe as the musical break for Gay Comedy Open Mic Night. In 1984 they released “I Thought You’d Be Taller“- their first full-length album.
For two decades they toured across North America and abroad, performing at Pride events, community centres, churches and school auditoriums. They also released a number of albums which are available again at their Official Online Shop.
I was able to attend three of their concerts in Toronto back then; the first in the 519 Community Centre auditorium, then at Jarvis Collegiate and even one at MCC Toronto. I own their first three albums (yes, vinyl records) as well as the rest of the R&P catalogue and Ron’s solo releases as cassettes or CDs. Their work was, is, an important part of LGBTQ history. I am honoured to be entrusted by Ron with managing the Official R&P Facebook page and Official R&P Merchandise Shop.
Now available: a retro-style Wall Calendar for 2024
Each month features a verse or chorus from a Romanovsky & Phillips hit. Printed on demand by our international production partner Lulu.com.
Click on the second image to see a large version with details of each month’s selection:
I published 1 Out Of 10 Therapists: The Poetry of Romanovsky & Phillips Lyrics to mark the 30th anniversary. The title of this volume comes from their Official Tour t-shirts sold at concerts. The text (“1 out of 10 therapists recommend Romanovsky & Phillips to their patients who listen to music“) and teal, purple & orange colors reflected the spirit of hope and fun that R&P brought to their concerts. The volume includes 44 selections from 1977 to 2007.
“Romanovsky and Phillips came flying across the gender spectrum in brave form. Queer, feminist, outrageous, funny, tender. Congratulations on 30 years of daring work.“
Holly Near
Related Posts:
Posts tagged “RandP”.
Related Links:
Official R&P Website and Music Store;
Official R&P Merchandise Shop;
Official R&P Facebook page;
