Baptiste was encouraged to pursue a career as a singer after a school performance of a song called "Sweet Slumber".
[2] He performed with his brothers in a gospel group called the Gateway Quartet and worked as a bellhop before he recorded "Sea of Love" in 1959.
[3] After three months of work on the arrangement, building up the vocal group and trying out different musicians, the song was ready for release.
"[2] The song remains a big seller with notable covers by Del Shannon (which reached No.
Among Phillips' other songs is "No One Needs My Love Today" (1966), which was recorded by Samantha Juste, co-host of BBC TV's Top of the Pops.
[7] One of his last live performances was in April 2005 at the Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Louisiana, a few months before Hurricane Katrina.