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P. F. Sloan

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P.F. Sloan is an American pop-rock singer and songwriter, born Philip Gary Schlein in New York City on September 18, 1945.

Songwriter

His family moved to West Hollywood, California in 1957. Sloan made a single, "All I Want Is Loving," for the R&B label Aladdin Records, which folded soon after its release. He became part of the burgeoning Los Angeles music scene, landing a job on the songwriting staff at startup label Dunhill Records. Using the name Phil F. Sloan or P.F. Sloan, he wrote hits for many performers. His "Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann" was done by a Watts, California performer named Round Robin and given an arrangement by Jack Nitzsche. He wrote "Eve of Destruction," recorded by Barry McGuire; "You Baby" by The Turtles; and "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers. The last was the theme tune for Secret Agent, a British TV series that had been given a new title and theme for the U.S. market. (In Britain it was Danger Man). Sloan also wrote, sang and produced songs for The Grass Roots, Jan and Dean, and various others along with his then writing and production partner Steve Barri.

Tribute from fellow songwriter

"P.F. Sloan" is also the title of an anthem by singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb, who is better known for such hits as "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and "Up, Up and Away." in the 1970s, Webb released two different versions of the catchy, bittersweet composition, which seems to be about the costs and disappointments of being a creative groundbreaker. Cover versions of this were recorded by The Association in 1971 and by British band Unicorn in the early 1970s - released as a single and album track on Transatlantic Records.

Political influence

"Eve of Destruction" was used as a rallying cry by supporters of the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which changed the voting age from 21 to 18.

Performer

Known to friends as "Flip," Sloan was also a singer. After moving to Dunhill he sang lead vocals on "Where Were You When I Needed You," the original 1965 demo record for The Grass Roots (which he also co-wrote). Sloan also enjoyed some success as a solo performer in the late 1960s and early 1970s, releasing several albums including Karma (A Study Of Divinations). He made an album in 1968 that Sloan says was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, but which listed Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee as the locale. Entitled "Measure of Pleasure," it was produced by Tom Dowd and was his most accomplished bit of record-making (as opposed to songwriting), but it did not sell. Beset by business and legal problems--Sloan essentially signed away the rights to his valuable compositions, and has said that Dunhill made threatening advances to force him to do so--he largely dropped out of sight in the mid-1970s and did not record or perform again until the 1980s. He made a record in the early 1990s that was initially released only in Japan. Sloan is poorly represented on compact disc, with only a smattering of releases to his name. His two Dunhill records, "Songs of Our Times" and "Twelve More Times," have been out of print for years, as has "Measure of Pleasure." There is currently a collection of his demo recordings available ("Child of Our Times") as well as an anthology of his work.

In 2005 he made a series of recordings with producer Jon Tiven in Nashville, Tennessee. The resulting album, Sailover, was released in August 2006 on the Hightone label. Tiven, known for his work with artists such as Alex Chilton and Frank Black, played on the record, as did his wife, Sally Tiven. The record was a mixed bag of old and new songs, including several co-written by Tiven.

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