Phil Hurtt

Phil Hurtt started out singing in church. At the age of 10, he and his oldest brother Al were singing on street corners. By the age of 12, he and his brother had formed a group with their cousin Sarah. They were known as Sarah & the Dreams. They got a steady gig performing in Gold Room of the Theresa Hotel in Harlem. After cousin Sarah left the group in 1957, they became The Swinging Phillies. Philadelphia DJ named Jocko Henderson had something to do with the name change. That year, they signed a recording contract with Deluxe Records. By the time Hurtt was 15, they had released a single, "Frankenstein's Party" b/w "L-O-V-E". Both tunes were written by his brother Al with Phil Hurtt writing the lyrics for "L-O-V-E". He continued performing throughout his youth and kept working on his song-writing skills. There was a demand for him to work contributing background vocals in New York and Philadelphia sessions. He knew for him that songwriting was what he wanted to do.^[1]

With his former high school mate Thom Bell he wrote "I'll Be Around for The Detroit Spinners which turned out to be their first no 1 hit.^[2] He also co-wrote the song, "The Best Disco in Town" with Jacques Morali, Richie Rome and Henri Belolo. This was the second single for The Ritchie Family.^[3] The song became a worldwide smash hit.^[4] In diversity he also write the music for the Nutricize exercise record which was released in 1982.^[5] Other artists he has produced recordings for include Willis Jackson with his 1975 The Way We Were album.^[6]