A Swampy Cree, Phyllis Sinclair was born on the west coast of the Hudson Bay in the northern seaport town of Churchill, Manitoba. Phyllis was raised by her single mother and widowed grandmother. The women eeked out a living working as "Laundresses" for the Canadian Army, in the Army's industrial laundry facility. Although the family was want in wealth, they were rich in laughter. She recalls many evenings laughing with her many cousins, around an uncle's stories or high jinks. Then, there were all the weekends where she would listen intently to reels and jigs being tapped out on spoons and boot heels at spirited gatherings, and where often she would jig for a quarter. However, the comfort and familiarity of home was about to change.

In 1967 the Army closed down it's Fort Churchill Base, leaving many of the town's people without work. With only a grade eight education, and in need of work, Phyllis' mother packed up the family and moved them all to the provincial capital city of Winnipeg. But, Winnipeg was a far cry from their small, home town. Without the support of family or friends, the family struggled to survive in Winnipeg's inner city. Threatened by poverty, surrounded by violence, and experiencing loneliness, the tight knit family welcomed Sunday soup kitchen dinners at the local Salvation Army. It was here that the group found kinship with other Aboriginal families facing the same struggles. It was around this time that Phyllis first picked up a guitar. She learned enough chords, and songs, to eventually sing at local coffee houses, church, and community events. At sixteen, she wrote her first song, and continued to write recreationally. Soon after moving to Winnipeg Phyllis' mother, who spoke fluent Cree, was offered a sponsorship to complete an Aboriginal Social Work program. That was the break the family needed. Within a few years the family was relieved from their deep struggle.

1972, found the family in the northern Manitoba mining community of Thompson. Here, Phyllis continued to hone her musical skills, singing as a soloist at the local churches, as a trio with her mother and sister, and as a group with other community youth. Phyllis graduated high school, and later worked as a Journalist for NCI-FM in Thompson, Manitoba, NNB-FM, Terrace, British Columbia, CBC Radio Vancouver, and for CBC Prince Rupert as Co-host of the current affairs morning show Daybreak. However, when the CBC began major restructuring, Phyllis switched gears from journalism to management and worked for Ocean Fisheries Ltd. as their Gillnet Fleet Manager. Phyllis says, that was her job of a lifetime. She felt at home with the smell of the salt air, the ocean, and the many friends she had made in the fishing community, many of whom are the subject of her songs. Later Phyllis attained her Bachelor of Administration (BA), and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees.

Throughout her life, Phyllis never lost her love for family, music and writing. Her guitar was her constant companion, her family only a phone call away. After moving to Alberta in 1998, she took her music more seriously, writing of life on the prairie, and ocean. However, it was the passing of her cousin Hannah that inspired her to record, feeling that stories like Hannah's shouldn't go unnoticed. She released her first album "Fence Posts and Stones" in 2005 which earned her attention from Canada"s premier Folk, Roots, and World Beat magazine, Penguin Eggs. Her follow up album, "Fathomless Tales from Leviathan's Hole", earned her a Canadian Aboriginal Music Award nomination for Best Folk Acoustic Album, and a Aboriginal Peoples Choice Award nomination for Best Songwriter. In her third album, "Dreams of the Washerwomen" Phyllis pays tribute to single parents, like her own mother and grandmother, who worked hard to make their dreams for the children come true. In fact, Phyllis attributes her sound and writing style to her grandmother who sang in soft ululation at bedtime, and who would often thrill with spell-binding tales.

It is this culmination of creativity, struggle and culture that has created a sound and delivery that is both rich and compassionate, from a woman whose songs are sincere, and whose performances are unforgettable.