Today we pay tribute to the late P.F. Sloan.
I have had the chance to interview a few fellow 'Phil's' through the years. The "F" stood for his nickname, 'Flip.' That was also my nickname for a time when I was young. In fact, an instructor at broadcasting school suggested Flip Flash as my radio name. I am glad that I never went with that. (No one today would know that was a play on 1970's camera technology.)
I was honored to have P.F. Sloan join me by phone in 2001. We were promoting the very good Varese Sarabande CD , Child Of Our Times: The Trousdale Demo Sessions. We talked about his early days as a writer for Screen Gems and his surf music days playing on records for Bruce and Terry and the Fantastic Baggys.
P.F. Sloan started out with sunny surf music but wrote all kinds of songs including pop and protest.
P.F. Sloan, in collaboration with Steve Barri, recorded songs that were eventually released as the Grass Roots.
That was actually the P.F. Sloan demo version of this song.
Sloan had been in England pushing his tunes when he happened to catch the ear of producer Mickie Most.
According to Peter Noone, it was Herman's Hermits who first recorded this song ... a year before The Grass Roots' version came out in
America. (kk)
Sloan also penned this early hit for The Grass Roots ... a #23 Forgotten Hit from 1967.
OTHER SONGS WRITTEN BY P.F. SLOAN YOU MAY KNOW FROM THE '60's: Eve Of Destruction and Child Of Our Times for Barry McGuire
A Must To Avoid and Hold On for Herman's Hermits (who also recorded the first commercially released version of "Where Were You When I Needed You," later a hit for The Grass Roots
Where Were You When I Needed You and Things I Should Have Said by The Grass Roots
You Baby and Let Me Be by The Turtles
Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers
Summer Means Fun by Bruce and Terry
I Found A Girl and One Piece Topless Bathing Suit by Jan and Dean
P.F. Sloan died on November 15th, 2015
