Song:Eve Of Destruction
Album:Number 1's: 60's Pop
Barry McGuire's 1965 number one hit Eve of Destruction came at the height of the folk boom when protest songs were becoming very popular. The song was everywhere at the time. But McGuire never had another hit and has been recording Christian music since the 70s. He was born Oct. 15, 1935 in Oklahoma City and grew up in California. He joined The New Christy Minstrels in 1962 and sang lead on their biggest hit Green, Green. He left the group and signed with Lou Adler's Dunhill label in 1965. McGuire was good friends with The Mamas and The Papas leader John Phillips who were also on Dunhill. Eve Of Destruction was written by P.F. Sloan and Sloan produced with long time partner Steve Barri. Sloan was 19 years old and Eve Of Destruction was his first big hit. The duo were house producers at Dunhill for several years and were the guys behind The Grass Roots among many others. Sloan first offered Eve Of Destruction to The Byrds. They rejected it but The Turtles recorded it but it was not released as a single. The original intention was for McGuire to record a demo of the song and then they would have him record a slicker version. But Lou Adler liked McGuire's recording so much that he sent it to a Los Angeles radio station and they started playing it immediately. The rest is history. Eve Of Destruction was one of the biggest hits of 1965. It was even banned by some stations and provoked the response song Ballad Of The Green Berets by Sgt. Barry Sadler. You can get Eve Of Destruction on this Hip-O various artists comp. McGuire recorded three albums for Dunhill but never had another hit single. He became a born again Christian in 1970 and recorded Christian music for many years. For years he disowned Eve Of Destruction but he has softened his stance and performs it today. Barry McGuire lives in New Zealand. Here's Barry McGuire performing Eve Of Destruction 1965.
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