Biography
Phil Terrell Flood passed up two prime chances yet harbors no remorse over the outcome. Raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, he relocated with his family to Jersey City, New Jersey, completing high school there alongside Robert “Kool” Bell, whose father Ronald Bell had boxed as a featherweight. Bell launched his debut group, Kool & the Flames, drawing the name from James Brown & His Famous Flames; Terrell joined them for local club dates but departed before long. The ensemble later evolved through the Jazziacs and the Soul Town Band, ultimately becoming Kool & the Gang upon signing with Delite Records in 1969. Terrell’s airy vocals and polished appearance might have meshed with the lineup’s most commercially potent phase under lead singer J.T. Taylor, and it is plausible the group had him in mind when they brought Taylor aboard.
Terrell’s cousin Winfred Lovett of the Manhattans occasionally invited him to sing with the group prior to their Carnival Records deal. He later stepped in for George “Smitty” Smith during the latter’s absences or illnesses. After Smitty’s death, Terrell was reportedly the initial candidate to take his place, though Carnival’s Harry Caldwell remained under consideration as well. The question settled once the Manhattans discovered the dynamic Gerald Alston in North Carolina.
For Carnival, Terrell recorded the 1965 single “I’m Just a Young Boy” backed with “I’ll Erase You (From My Heart)” and the 1966 release “Love Has Passed Me By” paired with “Don’t You Run Away,” both supported by the Manhattans. Weak label promotion and the tracks’ pop-leaning, understated style kept them off mid-1960s urban radio. Terrell possessed a pristine, refined delivery that concealed his background; he went on to work as a schoolteacher and eventually an administrator. Collectors of Northern soul have since embraced his Carnival sides.
Terrell’s cousin Winfred Lovett of the Manhattans occasionally invited him to sing with the group prior to their Carnival Records deal. He later stepped in for George “Smitty” Smith during the latter’s absences or illnesses. After Smitty’s death, Terrell was reportedly the initial candidate to take his place, though Carnival’s Harry Caldwell remained under consideration as well. The question settled once the Manhattans discovered the dynamic Gerald Alston in North Carolina.
For Carnival, Terrell recorded the 1965 single “I’m Just a Young Boy” backed with “I’ll Erase You (From My Heart)” and the 1966 release “Love Has Passed Me By” paired with “Don’t You Run Away,” both supported by the Manhattans. Weak label promotion and the tracks’ pop-leaning, understated style kept them off mid-1960s urban radio. Terrell possessed a pristine, refined delivery that concealed his background; he went on to work as a schoolteacher and eventually an administrator. Collectors of Northern soul have since embraced his Carnival sides.