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Phil Swern

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Phil Swern
Born
Anthony Philip Swern

(1948-06-30)30 June 1948
Ealing, London, England
Died31 August 2024(2024-08-31) (aged 76)
Occupations
  • Radio producer
  • music collector
  • record producer
  • songwriter

Anthony Philip Swern (30 June 1948 – 31 August 2024) was an English radio producer, record producer and collector.

Career

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Born in Ealing, London, Swern was a record producer[1] and songwriter,[2] and also wrote for television.[3] He earned the nickname "The Collector" from working on Sounds of the 60s with Brian Matthew. He produced Pick of the Pops for BBC Radio 1 in the late 1980s and early 1990s and produced the show for BBC Radio 2 from 1997 to 2023. He also produced Sounds of the 60s for Radio 2 from 2007 until his death and formerly produced the Saturday night Bob Harris Show for the same station, also producing Harris's Radio 1 shows in the early 1990s.[4] He also devised the questions for the PopMaster quiz on Radio 2's Ken Bruce Show until this role was assumed by Neil Myners and Simon Bray. Swern co-wrote the quiz show Pop the Question with Jeremy Beadle and co-created another quiz show, That's Showbusiness, with screenwriter Jeremy Pascall.

His first record production work was Horace Faith's recording of "Black Pearl" for Trojan Records in 1970.[5] He went on to produce for many other musicians, including the Pearls,[6] Polly Brown[7] and R&J Stone,[8] whose "We Do It", released in 1976, reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart.[9] In 1972, he formed the studio group Blue Haze with Johnny Arthey; their reggae cover version of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" reached number 27 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.[10][11]

Swern had the world's only complete collection of every UK Top 40 chart hit since records began in 1952.[12] His extensive work within the music industry led to him being awarded a BASCA Gold Badge Award in October 2010.[13][14]

On 26 August 2024, Swern presented his Bank Holiday special Phil Swern’s Hidden Gems[15] on Boom Radio,[16] which would be his last radio show, as he died five days later following a long illness with cancer, on 31 August 2024, at the age of 76.[17][18][19]

References

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  1. ^ "Tony Blackburn - Chop-Chop (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Savoy - Broken-Down Transistor Radio". 45cat.com. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Phil Swern". IMDb.com. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Bob Harris". Bobharris.org. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Horace Faith - Black Pearl (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  6. ^ "Pearls, The - Guilty (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Polly Brown - Up In A Puff Of Smoke / I'm Saving All My Love (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  8. ^ "R and J Stone We Do It". 45cat.com. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  9. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 533. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  10. ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 89. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
  11. ^ Stanley, Bob. "Phil Swern - The Record Producer". BBC Radio 2. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Phil (The Collector) Swern Interview: The Six Million Record Man". Longlivevinyl.net. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  13. ^ "Gold Badge Awards 2010". Goldbadgeawards.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  14. ^ "Gold Badges For Heather Small, John Paul Jones". Billboard.com. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  15. ^ https://www.boomradiouk.com/player/on-demand/phil-swerns-hidden-gems/
  16. ^ "Radio producer Phil 'The Collector' Swern has passed away". 1 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Radio producer Phil 'The Collector' Swern has passed away". Radiotoday.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  18. ^ "PopMaster co-creator and BBC Radio producer Phil Swern dies aged 76". BBC News. 1 September 2024.
  19. ^ Medlicott, Jenny (1 September 2024). "PopMaster co-creator Phil Swern dies aged 76" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
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