P.F. Sloan
b. Philip Sloan, 1946, Los Angeles, California, USA. The F initial in his name is rumoured to stand for Faith. He was signed by entrepreneur Lou Adler in 1964 as a songwriter for Dunhill Records, Sloan, in conjunction with Steve Barri, first enjoyed success writing surfing hits. The emergence of folk-rock in 1965 brought Sloan to the fore as a serious singer/songwriter thanks to the catch-all protest number Eve Of Destruction. Originally offered to the Byrds, the song was finally released by the gruff-voiced Barry McGuire and climbed to number 1 in the USA, despite an extensive radio ban. Sloan was criticized in purist folk circles for his apparent opportunism, but was embraced by many as the voice of youth and spokesman of his generation. His poetic lyrics and love of simile in such songs as Upon A Painted Ocean brought premature comparisons with Bob Dylan. During his 1965 peak, Sloan himself branched out into solo work with such social commentaries as Songs Of Our Times and Sins Of A Family. His compositions continued to be covered by such artists as the Searchers, Turtles and Herman's Hermits, and he also produced US hit group the Grass Roots. During the late '60s, Sloan was still writing protest material with some success, most notably on MEASURE OF PLEASURE. After splitting from long-term partner Steve Barri, he attempted to take on the mantle of the introspective singer-songwriter in RAISED ON RECORDS, but the work was not well received. Without a contract, Sloan wound down his music business commitments, prompting no less a personage than Jimmy Webb to mourn the absence of the great protester with the tribute P.F. Sloan from the 1977 album EL MIRAGE.