Phil X facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phil X
Phil X performing in 2013
Background information
Birth name	Theofilos Xenidis
Also known as	Phil X
Born	(1966-03-10) March 10, 1966 (age 59) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Rock hard rock heavy metal glam metal
Occupation(s)	Musician singer songwriter
Instruments	Guitar vocals
Years active	1982–present

Theofilos Xenidis (born March 10, 1966), known to his fans as Phil X, is a talented Canadian musician. He is a singer, songwriter, and an amazing guitarist. Since 2013, he has been the lead guitarist for the famous rock band Bon Jovi. In 2016, he officially took over from their previous lead guitarist, Richie Sambora.

Phil X's Musical Journey

Starting Out: Early Bands and Studio Work (1982–2010)

Phil X started his musical journey early. In 1982, he formed a hard rock and heavy metal band called Sidinex. The name Sidinex is actually his last name, Xenidis, spelled backward! The band released one EP (a mini-album) in 1985 called Forever Young. After that, they changed their name to Flip City in 1987 before breaking up.

A big chance came for Phil in 1990. He was asked to tour with Randy Coven. The next year, in 1991, he toured across the United States with another musician named Aldo Nova. From 1992 to 1993, Phil played with the band Triumph. He helped record their album Edge of Excess and went on tour with them.

In 1994, Phil X was part of a short-lived band called The Bushdoctors. They recorded one album. That same year, he played a guitar solo for the song “Denied” by the band Our Lady Peace. Phil also played guitar for the American power pop band Powder. His then-wife, Ninette Terhart, was the singer. Powder released three albums between 2002 and 2008.

Joining Bon Jovi (2011–Present)

Phil X performing in 2013

In 2011, Phil X got a call to fill in for Bon Jovi's lead guitarist, Richie Sambora. Richie needed time off for personal reasons. Phil played 13 shows with the band. Later, in 2013, Richie Sambora left the band suddenly. Phil X stepped in again for many shows on their "Because We Can" tour. A friend of both Phil X and Jon Bon Jovi, Arman Ghasemi, suggested Phil as a great replacement.

Phil played with Bon Jovi for many concerts in 2013. This included shows in Italy, the entire UK tour (like the Isle of Wight Festival), and legs of the tour in South Africa, South America, and Australia. In 2016, Phil X officially became a full member of Bon Jovi. He joined along with bass guitarist Hugh McDonald. Phil's guitar playing can be heard on their songs like "This House Is Not for Sale" and on their albums This House Is Not for Sale and Bon Jovi: 2020. He also played on their 2024 album, Forever.

In 2019, Phil X was honored in the Mississauga Music Walk of Fame. This recognizes musicians who have strong ties to the city of Mississauga, Ontario. In 2016, he also appeared in a documentary called Hired Gun. This film is about the talented musicians who play in studios for many different artists.

About Phil X's Life

Phil X was born to Greek-Canadian parents. He grew up in Mississauga, Ontario, in a neighborhood called Erindale. Phil was previously married to Ninette Terhart. In 2013, Phil married Lindy Green. They have two children together.

Phil X's Gear: Guitars and Amps

Guitars

Phil X has used many different guitars throughout his career. He often prefers the pickup closest to the bridge of the guitar. Sometimes, he even removes the neck pickup from his own guitars. He says this helps with vibration, clarity, and harmonics. For fun, he might put an action figure or a fan grille in the empty pickup space! He also likes P-90 pickups. These pickups are very flexible in their sound. You can get a cleaner sound from an overdriven amplifier just by turning down the volume knob on the guitar.

His most famous guitar is his ESP LTD Viper. He calls it the "sticker guitar" because it's covered in stickers. This guitar originally had different pickups, but now it has an Arcane PX-100.

In 2012, Yamaha made a special guitar just for Phil X. Then, in 2015, Framus released his signature XG model. Phil also invented something called the "Flip Stick." This is a special replacement for the usual whammy bar found on some guitars. He is also supported by Cleartone Treated Guitar Strings and Everly Star Picks. His videos showing off rare and vintage guitars have been watched over 30 million times on the Fretted Americana YouTube channel. In 2019, Phil X became an artist for Gibson, another famous guitar company.

Amplifiers

Phil X uses Friedman amplifiers. He even has his own signature amplifier, called the Friedman X.

Pickups

Phil X has designed four special pickups with a company called Arcane, Inc. These are available for sale on his website:

• PX-90: This is a P-90 pickup made exactly how Phil X likes it. It's his favorite and is in most of his guitars.
• PX-100: This is like the PX-90, but it's made to fit into guitars that normally use humbucker pickups.
• PX-8: This is a humbucker pickup that sounds like older, classic pickups. It uses special Alnico 8 magnets for extra power.
• PX-SUPER 8: This also uses Alnico 8 magnets, but it's even more powerful. It's great for music that needs a lot of distortion.

Phil X's Music: Discography

Phil X is a very busy session guitarist. This means he plays guitar on albums for many different artists. He has played for Chris Cornell, Tommy Lee, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Alice Cooper, and many others. He also wrote the song "Tired" and played guitar on Tommy Lee's album Tommyland: The Ride. Phil X has appeared on TV shows like Ellen and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He was also a music coach for the movie Josie and the Pussycats. He taught the young actresses how to look like they were really playing their instruments.

Here are some of the albums Phil X has been a part of as a band member:

with Triumph

• Edge of Excess (1992)

with The Bushdoctors

• The Bushdoctors (1994)

with Powder

• Sonic Machine (2002)
• Powder (2005)
• Nothing (2008)

with Phil X & The Drills

• We Bring the Rock N Roll (2011)
• We Play Instruments N Sh!t (2012)
• Stupid Good Lookings Vol.1 (2019)

with Bon Jovi

• This House Is Not for Sale (2016)
• 2020 (2020)
• Forever (2024)

Session Work Highlights

Phil X has played on many other albums for different artists. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Phil X para niños