Hence Phillips began to play music in earnest at the age of 13 after a trip to see Cat Stevens with his siblings. Soon after that they took him to see a show featuring Jackson Brown, Linda Ronstadt, and the Eagles and his mind was set. "I saw how much fun those guys were having onstage and knew that was what I wanted to do," says Phillips. Through years of honing his songwriting craft in solitude and polishing performance skills in venues ranging from bars to churches to festivals and concert halls, he has been the leader of his own groups as well as a sideman for numerous bands in Santa Barbara County.

After moving to Sacramento, California in the early 2000s he joined the Jackie Greene Band and spent the summer in the studio helping Jackie record his second album. "Gone Wanderin" was released in November 2002 on the DIG Music label. That record, which features Hence on electric slide guitar, dobro, bass, and background vocals, was hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of their Critics' Top 10 Albums of The Year and won a Califorinia Music Award for Best Roots/Blues Album. Hence also played bass on the Jackie Greene DVD, "Broken Hearts & Dusty Roads" and the Bob Dylan tribute record with Jackie and Sal Valentino entitled Positively 12th & K recorded live at Marilyn's in Sacramento. In addition, Hence had the distinct honor of being a part of a San Francisco radio station's annual fund-raiser for the Bay Area Food Bank. This double CD, KFOG Live From The Archives Volume 11, includes songs from artists including Peter Gabriel, Mark Knopfler, Steve Miller, Sarah McLachlin, and The Allman Brothers. Hence has toured the country with Jackie Greene sharing stages with artists such as Carlos Santana, Steve Miller, Bo Diddley, Pinetop Perkins, Dave Mason, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Dave Alvin, Susan Tedeschi, Doobie Brothers, George Thorogood, Derek Trucks Band, John Hiatt, Jonny Lang, Solomon Burke, Sonny Landreth, Huey Lewis, Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, and many other national acts.

Hence is currently playing with singer/songwritwer Steven Gregory in West Coast Turnaround.