If you listen to your local oldies station long enough you’re guaranteed to hear a Phil Spector song. It might take an hour or two but eventually you’ll hear one. That song might not be your favorite but you’ll recognize it and probably know the words. It might be “Da Doo Ron Ron” by the Crystals or “Across the Universe” by the Beatles or “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” by the Righteous Brothers or any number of other big songs from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Spector made monster hits before he turned into a monster and ended up in prison.
Harvey Phillip Spector was born in the Bronx today in 1939. His father committed suicide when Phil was 10 and the family soon relocated to Los Angeles. Spector learned to play piano and guitar and he formed a band called the Teddy Bears while still in high school. Spector had become friends with a local record producer and he studied production while playing with the Teddy Bears. By 1958 the Teddy Bears had a #1 single with the song “To Know Him is to Love Him”. The song sold over a million copies but the band was unable to match that success and they broke up in 1959.
Spector moved from performing to producing and flourished in his new role. By 1961 he had been involved with at least five Top 10 singles and he started his own record company with Lester Still called Philles Records. Spector signed bands like the Crystals, the Righteous Brothers, Ike and Tina Turner, and the Ronettes to his label and continued to churn out hit songs.
Spector’s reputation was burnished by his advanced production techniques which were dubbed The Wall of Sound. The famed Wall of Sound employed heavy layering and overdubs which gave the music a rich and full sound. This sound was so highly sought after that Spector has the distinction of participating in the first Rolling Stones album, “The Rolling Stones”, as well as the last Beatles album, “Let It Be”. Spector also produced George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” and John Lennon’s “Imagine” albums along with records from the Ramones , Leonard Cohen and Cher.
In 1974, Spector was involved in a major car accident which left him nearly dead and with major injuries. He had multiple broken bones and head wounds that required hundreds of stitches. The resulting scarring caused Spector to start wearing wigs that would make Liberace or Jim Traficant blush. The already reclusive Spector became more like a hermit and holed up in his mansion near Los Angeles. He worked sporadically through the early 2000s but then re-entered the public’s consciousness in a major way.
On February 2, 2003 Spector went to the House of Blues in Los Angeles. There he met Lana Clarkson, a small time actor who worked the club. Clarkson returned to Spector’s home that night and a few hours later Spector shot her in the face and killed her. The resulting trial was a circus with Spector playing the lead clown. He was accompanied by a retinue of bodyguards and showed up to court looking like a cross between Albert Einstein and Al Pacino. Spector was convicted of second degree murder and was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison. He will not be eligible for parole until he is 88 years old.
Phil Spector was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
The Teddy Bears – To Know Him is to Love Him 1958:
The Crystals – Then He Kissed Me 1963:
The Ronettes – Be My Baby 1963:
Rolling Stones – Little by Little 1964:
Ike and Tina Turner – River Deep Mountain High 1966:
George Harrison – All Things Must Pass 1970:
John Lennon – How Do You Sleep? 1971:
The Ramones – Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio? 1980:
