Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector was born on the 26th of December 1939 in the Bronx. His mother Bertha Spektor had been brought to the United States as an infant from France by her Russian migrant parents George and Clara Spektor. His father Benjamin Baruch Spektus arrived in America in 1913 at age ten after being born in the Russian Empire. Both families changed their surnames to Spector during naturalization papers witnessed by a man named Isidore Spector. The similarities in name and background led Spector to believe his parents were first cousins.
In April 1949, Spector's father died by suicide while deeply in debt. A gravestone inscribed with the words Father Husband To Know Him Was To Love Him marked his final resting place. This epitaph would later inspire one of Spector's earliest hits. In 1953, his mother moved the family to Los Angeles where she worked as a seamstress. Spector attended Fairfax High School and joined a loose-knit community of aspiring musicians including Lou Adler Bruce Johnston Steve Douglas and Sandy Nelson.
Spector formed a group called the Teddy Bears with Nelson and three other friends Marshall Leib Harvey Goldstein and Annette Kleinbard. During this period record producer Stan Ross tutored Spector in record production at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood. In 1958 the Teddy Bears recorded Don't You Worry My Little Pet and signed a two to three singles recording deal with Era Records. Their next session produced To Know Him Is to Love Him inspired directly by the epitaph on his father's tombstone.
To Know Him Is to Love Him reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on the 1st of December 1958 selling over a million copies by year's end. Following the success of their debut the group disbanded in 1959. Spector met Lester Sill while recording the Teddy Bears' album. Sill was a former promotion man who mentored Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Spector co-founded Philles Records with Sill in late 1961 becoming the youngest U.S. label owner at the time.
Through Hill and Range Publishers Spector found three groups he wanted to produce: the Ducanes the Creations and the Crystals. The first two signed with other companies but Spector secured the Crystals for his new label. Their first single There's No Other (Like My Baby) hit number 20. Their next release Uptown made it to number 13. By the time He's a Rebel went to number 1 Lester Sill had left the company leaving Spector with full control of Philles.
Spector created Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans featuring Darlene Love Fanita James and Bobby Sheen. The group had hits including Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah which reached number 8. In 1963 he released Be My Baby by the Ronettes which went to number 2. Beginning with Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Spector paired singles with intentionally inconsequential B-sides typically instrumental tracks improvised at session close. He named these B-sides after associates like Dr. Kaplan's Office or Brother Julius.
In early 1970 Allen Klein brought Spector to England to work on the Beatles' abandoned Let It Be recording sessions. After impressing with his production of John Lennon's solo single Instant Karma! which went to number 3 Spector was invited to turn those sessions into a usable album. Released a month after the Beatles' break-up the album topped both U.S. and UK charts. It yielded the number 1 U.S. single The Long and Winding Road.
Spector's overdubbing of The Long and Winding Road infuriated its composer Paul McCartney. Several music critics also criticized Spector's work on Let It Be. Lennon defended Spector telling Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone that he made something out of badly recorded material. For Harrison's multiplatinum album All Things Must Pass Spector helped provide symphonic ambience though health issues meant he was absent until mixing stage. The triple LP yielded two major hits: My Sweet Lord which reached number 1 and What Is Life which hit number 10.
That same year Spector co-produced Lennon's Plastic Ono Band a stark-sounding album devoid of any Wall of Sound extravagance. He became head of A&R for Apple Records holding the post for only one year. During this time he co-produced Power to the People and Imagine. The Concert for Bangladesh shows in New York City resulted in the number 1 triple album The Concert for Bangladesh winning Album of the Year at the 1973 Grammys.
As the 1970s progressed Spector became increasingly reclusive. In 1974 he suffered serious injuries when thrown through his car windshield in a Hollywood crash. Admitted to UCLA Medical Center on March 31 he required surgery with over 300 stitches to his face and more than 400 to the back of his head. Biographer Dave Thompson suggests these head injuries caused his later habit of wearing outlandish wigs.
Spector established Warner-Spector label with Warner Bros. Records producing recordings by Cher Darlene Love Danny Potter and Jerri Bo Keno. He released Dion DiMucci's Born to Be with You in 1975 which was largely produced and recorded by Spector in 1974 but disowned by the singer. The album enjoyed resurgence among indie rock fans in the 1990s and 2000s. He also produced Leonard Cohen's controversial Death of a Ladies' Man in 1977 featuring orchestral wall of sound that angered many Cohen fans.
In 1979 Spector produced the Ramones album End of the Century which proved their highest-charting album peaking at number 44 on Billboard Hot 200. Guitarist Johnny Ramone commented production worked tremendously for slower songs like Danny Says but not as well for harder stuff. Rumors circulated that Spector threatened band members with guns though drummer Marky Ramone recalled they could have left anytime.
On the 3rd of February 2003 Spector shot actress Lana Clarkson in the mouth inside his mansion Pyrenees Castle in Alhambra California. Her body was found slumped in a chair. Spector told Esquire in July 2003 that Clarkson's death was an accidental suicide and she kissed the gun. Emergency call from his home made by driver Adriano de Souza quoted Spector saying I think I killed somebody. De Souza added he saw Spector come out back door with gun in hand.
Spector testified in 2005 court deposition that he had been treated for bipolar disorder for eight years describing mood swings and difficulty concentrating. He remained free on $1 million bail while awaiting trial. His murder trial began the 19th of March 2007 with Judge Larry Paul Fidler presiding. A hung jury declared mistrial September 26 with ten to two vote for conviction. The retrial began the 20th of October 2008 without television coverage.
The case went to jury the 26th of March 2009 returning guilty verdict April 13 after 18 days. Spector found guilty of using firearm commissioning crime adding four years to sentence. On the 29th of May 2009 sentenced to 19 years to life in California state prison system. He would have been eligible for parole in 2024. Various appeals in 2011 2012 and 2016 failed unsuccessfully.
Spector produced nineteen U.S. top-ten singles including five number-one records between 1958 and 1971. He is one of few producers to have number one records in three consecutive decades: the 1950s 1960s and 1970s. In 1989 he was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as non-performer by Tina Turner. Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted him in 1997 receiving Grammy Trustees Award in 2000.
His music appeared prominently in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973) and Goodfellas (1990). You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' became most-played song on American radio and television until 2019. After 1970s Spector maintained reclusive lifestyle while legends about eccentric behavior circulated. Fictional characters inspired by public image include Ronnie Z-Man Barzell in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) and Swan in Phantom of the Paradise (1974).
In 2022 Showtime premiered Spector four-part docuseries directed by Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce dedicating equal focus to Clarkson and Spector with participation from both families. Directors stated intention to portray subjects accurately without definite resolution regarding separating artist work from personal actions.
Spector died the 16th of January 2021 at age 81 according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Diagnosed with COVID-the 19th of December 2020 he taken to San Joaquin General Hospital French Camp California December 31 intubated next month. His daughter Nicole attributed father's death to complications of COVID-19.
Before his death Spector had been inmate at California Health Care Facility Stockton since October 2013. September 2014 reported that Spector lost ability to speak owing to laryngeal papillomatosis. California Department of Corrections photos released September 2014 showed progressive deterioration in health. He remained incarcerated until death after serving most of his sentence.
Following his death former associates offered mixed public acknowledgments some expressing wish for him remembered separately from body of work. Session player Carol Kaye remarked piece of us were on trial too. Media outlets received criticism for coverage; obituaries originally stating legacy marred by murder conviction revised following social media backlash.
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Common questions
When was Phil Spector born and where did he grow up?
Harvey Phillip Spector was born on the 26th of December 1939 in the Bronx. His family moved to Los Angeles in 1953 after his father died by suicide in April 1949.
What were Phil Spector's biggest hits as a record producer?
Phil Spector produced nineteen U.S. top-ten singles including five number-one records between 1958 and 1971. His most famous songs include To Know Him Is to Love Him which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on the 1st of December 1958 and Be My Baby by the Ronettes which went to number 2 in 1963.
How did Phil Spector die and when did it happen?
Spector died on the 16th of January 2021 at age 81 while incarcerated at California Health Care Facility Stockton. He had been diagnosed with COVID-19 on the 19th of December 2020 and taken to San Joaquin General Hospital French Camp California before being intubated in January 2021.
Why was Phil Spector sent to prison and what sentence did he receive?
On the 3rd of February 2003 Spector shot actress Lana Clarkson inside his mansion Pyrenees Castle in Alhambra California. He was sentenced to 19 years to life in California state prison system on the 29th of May 2009 after a retrial concluded with a guilty verdict on the 13th of April 2009.
What albums did Phil Spector produce for The Beatles and John Lennon?
In early 1970 Allen Klein brought Spector to England to work on the Beatles' abandoned Let It Be recording sessions which yielded the number 1 U.S. single The Long and Winding Road. That same year Spector co-produced Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and helped provide symphonic ambience for Harrison's multiplatinum album All Things Must Pass.