Growing up in unincorporated Dekalb County, on Atlanta's East side, Philip began classical piano training at age 6. In his teens, listening to his father's jazz record collection sparked in him a passion for jazz, which he pursued in school, ultimately taking AP Music Theory and Advanced Jazz Band at Chamblee Charter High School as his family moved to Chamblee. In college he majored in jazz, and minored in recording technology at the University of Memphis, later transferring to Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas on a full music scholarship. He went on to represent his school nationally, performing with the African American Jazz Caucus HBCU All-Star Big Band in New York City 2009, after winning the audition for the piano spot. He graduated from HTU with a bachelor’s degree in music performance in 2012.  ​ After graduating and returning to Atlanta, he has become a sought-after musician throughout the Southeast. His career has consisted mostly of live performances as a solo act, bandleader, music director, as well as a side-man across the South as well as abroad. He also taught private lessons for over a decade, and has even appeared as a musician on TV and in movies such as *RESPECT* (2021) with Jennifer Hudson, *The Color Purple* (2023), and *The Naked Gun: Law of Toughness* (2025). In 2018, he joined the American Music Abroad tour, performing across Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, and Moldova with the Myrna Clayton Experience. During the pandemic he also took it upon himself to expand his skills and inventory of equipment in order to serve in other capacities as well, including as a DJ, MC, and live sound technician for smaller events. He continues to perform full time as a musician, bandleader, and event DJ.