Phil Sloan’s guitar work made him a trusted session guitarist with the Wrecking Crew, where he joined Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Joe Osborn and Larry Knechtel. Sloan wrote a guitar introduction for a John Phillips song titled “California Dreaming” which was to be recorded by his group, the Mamas & the Papas. Sloan’s little D minor riff made it into the recording, which made him a regular part of the group’s recording sessions. It sets the mood for one of the most perfect songs of the Sixties, even if Phil Sloan didn’t actually write it. It’s four magnificent bars that just can’t be topped.
The Mamas & the Papas: “California Dreaming”