Kevin's Watch

Phil Spector is among the greatest producers of rock and roll, and some would passionately argue that he is the greatest ever. His ambitious approach to the art of record production helped redefine and revitalize rock and roll during its early-Sixties slump. On a string of classic records released between 1961 and 1966 on his Philles label, he elevated the monaural 45 rpm single to an art form. "Little symphonies for the kiddies," he called them, and they were indeed dramatic pop records possessed of a grandeur and intimacy theretofore uncommon in rock and roll.
He was born Harvey Phillip Spector in the Bronx in 1940. He picked up guitar and piano in high school and began writing and recording original songs with classmate Marshall Lieb. Joined by a third friend, Annette Bard, they formed the Teddy Bears and had a Top Ten hit with "To Know Him Is to Love Him." Spector was 17 years old. His creative genius as a writer/producer flourished, as he cowrote the classic "Spanish Harlem" with Jerry Leiber (of Leiber and Stoller), a soul hit for Ben E. King. In the early Sixties, he produced hits for such artists as Gene Pitney ("Every Breath I Take"), Curtis Lee ("Pretty Little Angel Eyes") and the Paris Sisters ("I Love How You Love Me"). In 1961, he co-founded the Philles label with partner Lester Sill, and was immediately successful with "There's No Other (Like My Baby)," by the Crystals.

Spector utilized the studio like no producer before him. In exploring its possibilities, he constructed a musical monolith known as the "Wall of Sound." The chief ingredients in the Wall of Sound с a massive and cavernous roar created by the fusing of many individual instruments с were maximum volume and liberal use of echo. Spector exhibited a singular knack for matching talented singers with expert session musicians and wonderful songs. He worked his charges through endless takes as he tried to realize the sound he heard in his head. Several of the many timeless Spector-produced hits that stand as a testament to his genius include "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "He's a Rebel" and "Then He Kissed Me" (by the Crystals); "Be My Baby," "Baby, I Love You" and "Walking in the Rain" (by the Ronettes); "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide" (by the Righteous Brothers); and "River Deep - Mountain High" (by Ike and Tina Turner).

After the glory days of Top Forty radio began waning in the late Sixties, Spector's impact inevitably ebbed as well. However, he adapted to changing circumstances and went on to produce the Beatles (Let It Be), John Lennon (Plastic Ono Band) and George Harrison (All Things Must Pass), plus acts ranging from Cher to the Ramones.

Bannor wrote: He produced the Beatles' Let It Be LP.

Phil Spector Arrested for Murder

Phil Spector
(CNN)
ALHAMBRA, CA-February 3, 2003 — Authorities say record producer Phil Spector has been arrested for allegedly killing a woman.
The Los Angeles County sheriff's department says the Hall of Fame music producer was arrested at a house early today in the Los Angeles suburb of Alhambra. The woman's body was found at the scene.

In his legendary career, Spector produced such music greats as Tina Turner and the Ramones.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, Spector produced records for the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers and the Crystals. He created the "Wall of Sound" effect that involved overdubbing scores of musicians to create a massive roar, which changed the way pop records were produced.

Among his session players, known as the "Wrecking Crew," were guitarist Glen Campbell, pianist Leon Russell, drummer Hal Blaine and the late Sonny Bono, who learned the producer's trade under Spector.

Spector produced a string of '60s hits, including the Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me," the Ronettes' "Be My Baby" and "Walking in the Rain," and Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and "(Today I Met) the Boy I'm Gonna Marry."


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Spector married Ronnie Bennett, a member of the Ronettes. They divorced in 1974. He has five children.

Spector's father, Benjamin, committed suicide in 1949. Spector later visited the grave and used the inscription "To Know Him Was to Love Him" as the basis for a hit song.

Spector's last major album was "End of the Century," a 1980 collaboration with the Ramones. During the session, the late bassist Dee Dee Ramone said Spector pulled a gun on the band.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)