P. F. Sloan

Singer and songwriter P.F. Sloan – born Philip Gary ‘Flip’ Schlein on September 18, 1945, in New York City – was best known for writing or co-writing hit singles such as 1965’s “Eve of Destruction” (Barry McGuire) and “A Must to Avoid” (Herman’s Hermits) as well as 1966’s “Secret Agent Man” (Johnny Rivers) and “You Baby” (The Turtles). His family moved to Hollywood, California, where his father bought him a guitar whend he was 13. While at the music store, he met Elvis Presley, who gave him a quick music lesson. Within a year, ‘Flip’ Sloan released his first single. At the age of 16, he joined the songwriting staff at Screen Gems and began writing songs with Steve Barri. They recorded several singles of their own under different band names but none of them were successful. Producer Lou Adler began to use them as session vocalists and musicians and the duo worked on Jan and Dean recordings in 1964 and 1965. P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri also wrote the theme song to the TV series The T.A.M.I. Show. The songwriting duo also worked on surf music by Bruce & Terry and the Rip Chords before forming their own surf band, the Fantastic Baggys. As a guitarist, P.F. Sloan became part of the pool of L.A. musicians known as ‘the Wrecking Crew’ and worked on many sessions. He is responsible for creating and playing the guitar introduction to the Mamas and the Papas hit single “California Dreaming.” P.F. Sloan and Barri formed studio band the Grass Roots, but the group went through several changes and by the time they began scoring hits, P.F. Sloan had moved on from the project. P.F. Sloan left the comfort of his partnership with Steve Barri and became a solo artist and released the albums Songs of Our Times (1965), Twelve More Times (1966), Measure of Pleasure (1968), and Raised on Records (1972). While he had achieved a lot of success as a songwriter, his solo albums were only marginally successful. He stepped away from music for over two decades, finally returning with new recordings in the 1990s and 2000s. However, they were independent releses and didn’t reach a large audience. P.F. Sloan died in Los Angeles, California on November 15, 2015, at the age of 70.

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