My birth name is Philip Baptiste. I was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I started singing at the age of eight. Later, when I got older I formed a spiritual music group with my brothers called The Gateway Quartet. I also sung many solos in my church.
After singing a song called Sweet Slumber in my school auditorium, I received many compliments from classmates and teachers and was encouraged to pursue a career in music. So while in my youth, I sang and played my guitar in churches and clubs.
While trying to start a career in music, I was working as a bellhop at the Chateau Charles motel in Lake Charles. During this time I was dating a woman named Verdie Mae. For some reason she did not believe how much I loved her. So one night in 1957, on her front porch, I thought to myself, ..If only I could take her to the sea and tell her how much I love her, it would prove my love for her... With guitar in hand, a melody came to me as I started to strum. I started singing the melody out loud: ..Come with me, my love..To the sea, the sea of love..I want to tell you how much I love you... Twenty to thirty minutes later, Sea of Love was written and composed. Word got around and it didn..t take long for others to hear the song.
Later, I organized a group to sing backup. I named them The Twilights. The Twilights and I, along with some musicians and a group called Cookie & The Cupcakes, recorded Sea of Love in about eight to ten takes in a Lake Charles studio. I used the same exact lyrics that I sang to Verdie Mae that night on her porch.
Sea of Love was my first professional recording. I decided to change my name from Philip Baptiste to Phil Phillips. I made my professional debut in different nightclubs to promote the song. My next step was to try to get it on the air. A disc jockey from Baton Rouge, who loved the song, broke the song to listeners. He jeopardized his job because he locked himself in the sound booth and played the song continuously. Shortly after this incident, Sea of Love was in major demand. The song was leased to Mercury Records and it became an instant hit. I started performing on television shows such as the Alan Freed Show and Dick Clark's American Bandstand. I toured with Dick Clark's Caravan of Starsalong with other artists like The Coasters and The Drifters.
Sea of Love had one million record sales and I received a gold record from Mercury. I also have been inducted into rock n'roll halls of fame. The song has been done over by many different artists. I especially like the Honeydrippers version. The song and the song title were used for the movie Sea of Love starring Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin. But, because of injustice, my career was short lived. 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. After that, I no longer performed in clubs. I took a job as a disc jockey and retired in 1986. I was blessed with a beautiful wife and seven children.
I have a lot of love for my fans and the love I receive from them is a blessing. I recently re-recorded Sea of Love along with a spiritual called Be Mindful What You Do on a CD single.
Phil's last live performance was in April 2005 at the New Orleans Jazz Festival a few months before Hurricane Katrina.
Phil was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in October of 2007 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Hey there, Phil, Thanks for adding me. I'm sure you've heard this many, many times but I must have danced a million miles to SEA OF LOVE. Great song. I hope you're doing well, Fran
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Congratulations to you, Phil on the CD...finally, an album for you...This man, and his family, are some of the nicest, most outstanding people ever in the music business...The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame is extremely proud to have honored Phil as one of the top artists of Louisiana's amazing music history...Sea Of Love is a timeless classic...Hope you're feeling well Phil...looking forward to seeing you soon...Mike Shepherd, The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame, www. lmhof. org .
GOTTA SSAAYY HHEELLOO To my GrandFather the GREATEST MAN ALIVE NOTHING BUT LOVE Paying Respects U paved the way for me and my brothers in so manny ways u dont even know Thanks for Ur love and wisdom(NO ONE GREATER) LONE YA GRANDPA D.O. The Underdog
HERE'S TO YOU, PHIL! THANKS FOR ALL THE PAST YEARS OF GREAT MUSIC AND NOW, THE YEARS TO COME!!! CONGRATS ON YOUR NEW CD! GREAT! BIG JOHNNY MySpace Graphics & MySpace Layouts
Where to begin? This is an honor to make your virtual acquaintance. On this page was the first time that I read the endearing story of how "Sea Of Love" came to be. Thanks for sharing that. It is a song that is transcendental and perfect. I've listened to it a million different times in my life and it can take a different shape in my mind every time. But the staggeringly beautiful vocals are the same every time. This song has added so much to my life. So I thank you as a person for adding more beauty to my life and the world. Also, I have never failed to tell people that it's Phil Phillips' song every time a cover version of it is played. You may notice your plays per day going up because you're playing on my page and I'm putting you in the to friends. I wish you all the best. Kevin Illinois.
MyHotComments Do I remember those songs, I was a little girl then, but I still remember..Of course I was raised right down the street from you and your family...We had fun winning the free concert tickets and prizes from KJEF.lol
To my grfather Phil Phillips the greatest man a life on the planet earth and possibly the whole galaxy u inspire us to do better.Ur grson D.O. Keep passing down ur infinent knowledge. All praises do to god
Thank You From Lost In The 50's 
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