Rather than musical prowess, Mowery's ticket to the hall of fame was his artistic ability. Rolling Stone Magazine art director Todd Detwiler selected Mowery to design the ceremony's brochure. Mowery owns a Los Gatos­based graphics design company called Tread Creative and an illustration company called Phillip Mowery Portraits.

A 21st century heir apparent to pop-art godfather Andy Warhol, Mowery favors bold colors and a photo illustration style in his work, a la Marilyn--Warhol's famous print bearing a repeated image of Marilyn Monroe. Using a computer screen instead of a canvas, Mowery combines digitally enhanced photographs and splashes of bright colors to create works of art.

"The style lends itself to the music industry," Mowery notes.

And Mowery isn't the only one to see the connection between pop art and music. When Detwiler began looking for someone to design the hall of fame brochure, he initially had another artist in mind who also possessed a style similar to Warhol's. When that idea didn't pan out, Detwiler turned to the Internet, and Mowery's work caught his eye.

"Phil was doing the same thing but digitally, which was ideal because the work can be done more quickly and precisely, and it allows more direction than paints and canvasses," Detwiler says.

Detwiler contacted Mowery and left a voicemail message describing the gig. When Mowery heard the message, he wondered if it would be followed by a punch line.

"It was just kind of strange and a little surreal," Mowery says. "It was more surreal than exciting. I thought, 'Is someone playing a trick on me?' "

But there were no tricks--just treats. The job came with some major perks that included attending the induction ceremony and staying at the renowned Waldorf Astoria in New York. A dutiful son, Mowery brought his father, William, with him to the Big Apple--Mowery's wife, Jennifer, stayed home with the couple's two children, 3-year-old Lia and 5-year-old Mason.

Because he only had one ticket, Mowery couldn't take his father to the ceremony, but Mowery says it was still worth the trip since his father had never been to New York before.

"He had the time of his life," Mowery adds.

And for a few days, at least, the Mowerys lived like royalty.

"When your days consist of seeing things you have always only seen on TV and eating tons of great food from early in the morning to late at night, you know it's going to be a fun time," he says.

Although it was an exciting first trip to New York, the main attraction of the trip was, of course, the induction ceremony. As the Pretenders and the O'Jays had their time in the limelight, a few spare rays fell onto Mowery.

"When I saw B. B. King, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy all onstage jamming, that was when I kind of stepped back and thought how amazing it was to be there with these legends," Mowery says. "I'm not exactly a celebrity geek but it was inspiring to hear people play music and talk about each other in a casual environment. They were all wearing suits, but it seemed more like a party."

The induction ceremony, however, was not Mowery's first taste of rock stardom. After executives saw an ad he placed in a resource book for marketing executives and art directors in 2004, Mowery was contracted to design the brochure for the Grammy Awards. Rendered in his trademark digital pop-art style, the brochure features that year's Best New Artist winner, Evanescence.

Mowery's style may have eventually caught the attention of some key players in the media industry, but his freelance work had modest beginnings; he started a side business to supplement his income as a graphic designer at Pacifico--an ad and public relations firm in downtown San Jose. When the economy took a downturn, Mowery's hours were reduced.

Boyd Tveit, a creative director at Pacifico and Mowery's former boss, encouraged him to put some samples of his illustration work in industry resource books to generate extra income. Tveit says he saw Mowery's potential to flourish in the field even though the economy was sluggish.

"Phil is multifaceted," he says. "Oftentimes you find designers who are good at design but not at illustrating and conceptualizing. Phil is capable in both areas."

Other agencies noticed his work and began offering him freelance jobs, so Mowery left his position at Pacifico in 2004 to focus exclusively on his own business.

"You have to work hard whether you work for yourself or somebody else," he says. "I'd rather work for myself."

Once his illustration business got off the ground Mowery started a graphic design enterprise called Tread Creative, which became his primary source of income. Although he works with print and digital media, he specializes in attention-grabbing corporate logos with a "strong visual message."

"Design is fun when you are not trying to do what other people do," Mowery says. "The idea is to stand out."

Because he favors creating in a colorful and in-your-face style, Mowery says he generally attracts interesting assignments.

"Every job that comes in is fun," he says. "The style is vibrant and has lots of color. You don't use bold graphics for something uninteresting."

Tveit says his former employee's "Warholian" treatment of photographs and liberal use of eye-catching colors make him stand out from other aspiring designers.

"With his boldness and vibrant color, he kind of changes the personality of the people he's rendering," Tveit notes.

And Mowery never knows who might appreciate his style. Some of his most recent employers include San José State University, the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

As interesting as these assignments may be, Mowery's brief taste of the rock & roll lifestyle will be hard to forget. Occasionally, he has moments where he can relive his rock & roll adventure.

"I saw the brochure sold on eBay and I thought, 'I did that,' " he says.

For more information, visit www.treadcreative.com or www.phillipmowery portraits.com.