The great Utah Phillips passed away this weekend.

Folk singer, anarchist, social reformer and man of the people Bruce "Utah" Phillips died in his Nevada City home Friday night of congestive heart failure.

Phillips, 73, was beloved on two continents for his big heart, along with his wit, wisdom, wild, white beard and willingness to stand tall for his beliefs.

He ran for president but never voted. Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, Tom Waits and his friend Arlo Guthrie all sing Utah Phillips songs, but he refused to let Johnny Cash make an album of his standards, his eldest son said, because he didn't trust the record industry.

He gained a big new audience in 1996 when he signed to Ani DiFranco's Righteous Babe Records. He released two collobarations with Ani........