A light source including a specific LED and phosphor combination capable of emitting white light for direct illumination. In one embodiment, the light source includes an LED chip emitting in the 460-470 nm range radiationally coupled to a phosphor comprising Ca₈Mg(SiO₄)₄Cl₂:Eu²⁺,Mn²⁺. In a second embodiment, the light source includes an LED chip emitting at about 430 nm and a phosphor comprising a blend of Sr₄Al1₄O₂₅:Eu²⁺ (SAE) and a second phosphor having the formula(Tb_1-x-yA_xRE_y)₃D_zO₁₂, where A is a member selected from the group consisting of Y, La, Gd, and Sm; RE is a member selected from the group consisting of Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu; D is a member selected from the group consisting of Al, Ga, and In; x is in the range from 0 to about 0.5, y is in the range from about 0 to about 0.2, and z is in the range from about 4 to about 5. Both embodiments produce light having the coordinates x=0.240-0.260 and y=0.340-0.360 on the CIE chromaticity diagram.