Richard Phillips was born in Rochester, England in 1962. He played his first notes on the cornet when he was just 4 years old and started to learn to play the piano at aged 7. On leaving school he attended The Royal College of Music in London where he gained the Dip.RCM and ARCM. Since then he has directed many musicals and has arranged for many luminaries of the show business world. In 1984 he joined the International Music Editorial Department for the Salvation Army and in 1994 became the first non-Salvation Army officer to become its head. In 2004 Richard went into education and taught Key Stage 3, GCSE, GCE A level, and Btec music to students aged from 11-18. Richard now is the editor of TradeWinds and responsible for promoting Salvation Army music to musicians in the UK and around the world.