Louise Palanker from Los Angeles/Santa Barbara, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

P. F. Sloan, born Philip Schlein, wrote "Eve of Destruction," Barry McGuire's 1965 protest anthem that hit number one on the strength of a single verse capturing Cold War-era anxiety. Working often with Steve Barri, he wrote or produced Top 20 hits for the Turtles, the Searchers, Jan and Dean, and Herman's Hermits, including "Secret Agent Man" for Johnny Rivers — a songwriting run remarkable for its range across the mid-1960s pop landscape.