Phil Upchurch Dead: Guitarist and Composer Was 84

Phil Upchurch , a guitarist who played with Quincy Jones, Donny Hathaway and Michael Jackson , died on Nov. 23 in Los Angeles. He was 84.

During his career, Upchurch recorded nearly 30 albums and appeared on more than 1,000 recordings with some of the biggest artists in Hollywood. Among the hit singles he took part in creating were Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” which charted Billboard’s R&B charts for three weeks in 1978, and Jackson’s “Workin’ Day and Night,” from his 1979 solo album “Off the Wall.”

The guitarist was also featured on all of Hathaway’s solo studio and live albums, Curtis Mayfield’s soundtracks “Superfly,” “Claudine,” “Let’s Do It Again” and “Sparkle” and composed George Benson’s single “Six to Four.”

Upchurch grew up in Chicago with a father who was a jazz pianis