Phil Phillips | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Philip Baptiste (1926-03-14)March 14, 1926 Crowley, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | March 14, 2020(2020-03-14) (aged 94) Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Swamp pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer,songwriter |
| Website | Official Facebook |
John Philip Baptiste (March 14, 1926 – March 14, 2020),[1] known asPhil Phillips, was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1959 song, "Sea of Love".
Baptiste was encouraged to pursue a career as a singer after a school performance of a song called "Sweet Slumber".[2] He performed with his brothers in agospel group called the Gateway Quartet and worked as a bellhop before herecorded "Sea of Love" in 1959.
The song wasarranged andproduced byEddie Shuler for neighborGeorge Khoury's Khoury Records.[3] After three months of work on the arrangement, building up the vocal group and trying out differentmusicians, the song was ready for release. Baptiste changed his name to Phil Phillips, and dubbed his backing vocalists the Twilights. After aBaton Rougedisc jockey played the song repeatedly,[2] the recording sold heavily and was leased toMercury Records.
"Sea of Love" went to No. 2 in the U.S.Billboard Hot 100popchart and spent 14 weeks in thetop 40, as well as reaching No. 1 on theR&B chart. Additionally, it sold over one million copies, and was awarded agold disc.[4] Nonetheless, Phillips was paid only $6,800, and received no furtherroyalties for the song or its recording.[5]
Phillips did not release an album to capitalize on his success, due to the unfavorable terms of his deal. "Because I decided to fight for what was rightfully and legally mine, a full album that I recorded was never released. I'm not being paid, nor have I ever been paid, as an artist for 'Sea of Love'. I never received justice and to this day have not received justice."[2]
The song remains a big seller with notable covers byDel Shannon (which reached No. 33 on the pop chart in 1982) andthe Honeydrippers (which peaked at No. 3 spending 14 weeks in the top 40 in 1984). Phillips' original version was featured prominently in the 1989 filmSea of Love starringAl Pacino which also presents a cover version byTom Waits that plays during the end credits. Cat Power'sThe Covers Record also achieved a moderate success.
Among Phillips' other songs is "No One Needs My Love Today" (1966), which was recorded bySamantha Juste, co-host ofBBC TV'sTop of the Pops. He also recorded an anti-drug spoken word recording, "The Evil Dope", in the late 1960s; the single is considered acult classic.[6]
Phillips later worked as a radio DJ. He married and had seven children.
In October 2007, Phillips was honored for his contributions to Louisiana music with induction into theLouisiana Music Hall of Fame.[7]
One of his last live performances was in April 2005 at the Jazz Fest inNew Orleans, Louisiana, a few months beforeHurricane Katrina. He died on March 14, 2020, his 94th birthday.[8][1]
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