Phil Galdston is a songwriter/producer whose many and varied efforts have made him one of the few in the field to score hits on virtually every major Billboard chart. Over 130 million copies of his songs and productions have appeared on more than 70 million records worldwide in recordings by artists ranging from Celine Dion to Sheryl Crow, from Aaron Neville to Beyoncé, from Brandy to Esperanza Spalding.
Save the Best For Last, recorded by Vanessa Williams and co-written with Jon Lind and Wendy Waldman, is undoubtedly Phil’s best-known song. It simultaneously topped Billboard’s pop, r&b, and a/c charts for three weeks and was nominated for a GRAMMY® as Song of the Year. Vanessa’s recording was nominated as Record of the Year and she received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Female. Save … was honored as ASCAP’s Song of the Year, certifying it as the most-performed song of 1992-93, and received an ASCAP R&B Award, as well. It was the #1 pop record for eight weeks and remained on the Hot 100 for more than six months and the Recurrent Radio Monitor for another eight. At nearly 4 million airplays to date, it is already one of the classic songs of this, or any, era.
Among Phil’s other well-known songs are: I Owe You One (Aaron Neville); It’s Not Over (Til It’s Over) (Starship); That’s Not the Way It’s S’posed To Be (Anne Murray); A World Without Love (Eddie Rabbitt); The Last To Know and Love Doesn’t Ask Why (Celine Dion); Why Don’t We Live Together (Barry Manilow); and The Sweetest Days (Vanessa Williams). The Sweetest Days, the title song from Vanessa’s platinum album, was a number one a/c record for eight weeks, charted for 25 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and received an ASCAP Pop Award as one of the 50 most-performed songs of 1995. One Voice, a collaboration with Gordon Chambers, was featured on Brandy’s multi-platinum, chart-topping album, Never S-A-Y Never, and serves as the theme music for Brandy’s role as UNICEF spokesperson. Fly, one of three of Phil’s collaborations with France’s legendary Jean Jacques Goldman on Celine Dion’s number one, 30 times-platinum, GRAMMY®-winning album, Falling Into You, has inspired millions (and a few websites) with its expression of strength in the face of grief. He co-produced and co-produced two songs on Yolanda Adams’ GRAMMY- and DOVE- nominated album, Day By Day.
Phil has produced tracks and albums by such artists as America, Jody Watley, Starship, Vanessa Williams, John Sebastian, Constantine, and The Temptations. He also produced GRAMMY®-nominated comedy albums for both Robert Klein and Robin Williams. In addition, Phil produced and co-wrote the critically-acclaimed album Like A Brother by (Gerry) Beckley (of America), (Robert) Lamm (of Chicago), and the late (Carl) Wilson (of The Beach Boys).
Phil has scored four motion pictures and his songs and productions have appeared in the soundtracks of numerous films, including: The First Wives Club, which featured Over & Over (recorded by Puff Johnson) as its end-title song and hit single; Music Of The Heart, whose gold soundtrack contained Contemporary Christian superstar Jaci Velasequez’s version of Love Will Find You; The Best Man, whose platinum album featured After All Is Said and Done, recorded by Beyoncé and Mark Nelson; and in many independent films, including the critically-acclaimed Seven Girlfriends, C-A-M-P, Mind the Gap, The Upside of Anger, The Possession, and He’s Way More Famous Than You.
Phil’s recent and forthcoming activity includes:
- a song, co-written with the legendary John Sebastian, on the debut album from traditional country artist Tony Jackson
- two songs Gordon Chambers’ new album, Surrender;
- two songs on ‘Til They Bang On the Door, the new album from Snarky Puppy’s Lucy Woodward;
- multiple synch uses on VH1, “The Voice,” and many other national TV shows;
- More Will Be Revealed, a co-write and co-production, the single from the latest album by Chicago;
- Bonita Cuba, a collaboration with GRAMMY®-winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling and legendary trumpeter Arturo Sandoval on Elling’s album, Passion World
- the production of Asphalt Heart, a nine song EP by rising neo-soul/Americana/jazz artist Rebecca Jordan.
In recent years, Phil has ventured into new areas, collaborating with the late Morton Gould on a choral work, There Are (No) Children Here, and on 4 songs for the debut American album from Painted On Water, featuring Eurovision winner Sertab Erener. He is co-writing an original musical based on the hit film, Save The Last Dance and a jazz-based musical with Kurt Elling. Phil and family entertainment pioneer Tom Chapin co-wrote and co-produced Chapin’s CD, The Incredible Flexible You, which accompanies the groundbreaking curriculum, parents’ guide, and storybook series from Social Thinking™. Designed for 4-7 year-olds facing social behavioral challenges, but appropriate for a general audience, the album was the most honored children’s record of 2013, winning a Gold Award from Parents’ Choice, a Gold Award from Mom’s Choice, a CD of the Year Award from Creative Child Magazine, the Academics’ Choice Smart Media Award, and a Family Choice Award.
The recipient of the Grand Prize of the American Song Festival, two Nashville Songwriters’ Association citations, a Cable ACE nomination, a DOVE Award nomination, four ASCAP awards, five GRAMMY® nominations, and the prestigious Time For Peace Award for Fly. He speaks frequently on intellectual property rights and was Songwriter in Residence at the Berklee College of Music. He serves as the Director of NYUSteinhardt’s Songwriting Program, where he was the first member of its Songwriting Faculty and the first Faculty Songwriter-in-Residence in the University’s history. He is the founder, curator, and moderator of the SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME MASTER SESSIONS AT NYU, where his guests have included Hal David, Jimmy Webb, Glenn Frey, Valerie Simpson, Nile Rodgers, John Sebastian, Felix Cavaliere, David Byrne, Gamble & Huff, Rosanne Cash, and Don Schlitz. He is the co-founder of the Council of Music Creators, a pure, unified voice for songwriters and composers, and a leader of the musicanswers campaign.
Phil is a founding member of MusicAnswers; a rapidly growing organization of 4000 songwriters, composers, performers, and producers seeking to reclaim and protect our rights in the digital age.
