Phil Spector

Biography

Date of Birth: 26 December 1939, New York City, New York, USA Birth Name: Harvey Phillip Spector Nickname: The Tycoon of Teen (early 1960s) Height: 5' 5" (1.65 m) Spouse: Rachelle Marie Spector (1 September 2006 - present) Ronnie Spector (14 April 1968 - 1974) (divorced) Trade Mark: - Created the "Wall of Sound" effect that became widely copied by many groups of the 1960s and 1970s. - "BACK TO MONO" badge - Appeared to thrive on other people's nervousness; would sometimes behave oddly around recording artists, increasing the tension. Trivia Spector served an "apprenticeship" under Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in New York, learning from them while they were producing The Drifters; Spector plays the guitar solo at the end of "On Broadway". The character of Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) is based loosely on stories about Spector. His studio band was affectionately known as the Wrecking Crew; session regulars included Hal Blaine, Glen Campbell, Al De Lory, Jim Gordon, Jim Horn, Carol Kaye, Leon Russell, Tommy Tedesco, Nino Tempo, and Sonny Bono, himself learning the producer's trade, as Spector had learned from Lieber and Stoller. Brian Wilson sometimes "borrowed" Wrecking Crew members for his own recordings with The Beach Boys. Spector and Brian Wilson collaborated on one backing track for a single, which was never completed; the music bed they recorded was used later for a public-service announcement featuring Jay and the Americans. Gave Cher her first recording experience at 16, after Sonny Bono proposed his "girlfriend" as a session singer. While producing Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the mid-1960s, Spector actually worked only with Tina; Ike was reportedly paid $10,000 not to attend the sessions. Kept a bodyguard/driver since his late teens, after he was attacked in a men's-room prank that got out of hand. Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 (under the category Non-Performer). 3 February 2003, was arrested and charged with first degree murder after actress Lana Clarkson was shot to death in his home in Alhambra, California. Police are investigating. First met The Beatles in early 1964, on the airplane carrying them to New York for their first American visit; by late 1969, he'd long been interested in producing them. Allen Klein brought Spector to England, where he hit it off well with John Lennon and George Harrison. After helping produce Lennon's solo single "Instant Karma!" (written and recorded all in one day, and a #3 hit in the US), Spector was given the tapes of the ill-fated Get Back project, which nobody involved wanted to touch, as a "band audition". While Let It Be was a successful and reasonably consistent album, his changes to the Beatles' sound drew considerable fire from the critics, and particularly from Paul McCartney, who was furious about the overdubs made to "The Long And Winding Road". Nevertheless, both Lennon and Harrison continued to work with Spector on solo projects, and he later co-produced Yoko Ono's album Season of Glass, in the months after Lennon's death. Cameron Crowe and Tom Cruise have discussed working on a biopic about the producer. His father committed suicide when Phil was only 9 years old. On his tombstone were the words: To Know Him Is To Love Him, which Phil eventually used as the title of one of his most famous songs. Children: Gary, Louis, Donte, Nicole Spector and Phillip. Produced records for Gene Pitney, Ike Turner and Tina Turner, Ben E. King, The Beatles, The Righteous Brothers, The Checkmates, The Crystals, The Ronettes, Ramones and Yoko Ono, among others. As a young man, he claimed that he trained himself to sleep only 2-3 hours a night. He was voted the 63rd Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone. Is mentioned in the song "Life Is a Rock But the Radio Rolled Me" by Reunion. Is portrayed by Rob LaBelle in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) Dan Kessel and David Kessel, Spector's production coordinators and musicians/vocalists in his infamous Wrecking Crew since 1974, are stepsons of legendary actor Mickey Rooney. One night at his home, he held the punk band, Ramones, at gunpoint and he forced the band to perform. It is not generally known, but Phil Spector had a brief association with Atlantic Records in the early 1960s where he produced, among others, three of R & B's greatest divas, Ruth Brown, La Vern Baker and Broadway star Jean DuShon. Miss DuShon was brought to Atlantic by the late Ahmet Ertegun, who had seen her performing at the Roundtable. He paired her with Spector and they recorded "Talk to Me" backed with DuShon-penned, "Tired of Trying". Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997. His mother was born in France and he became fluent in the language by eighteen years of age. Was of Russian descent and grew up in The Bronx until the age of fourteen. Has lived in Los Angeles since the age of fourteen when he moved with his family from the Bronx, New York. On April 13th, 2009 he was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion in 2003. On May 29, 2009, Phil Spector was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson. The judge also ordered that he pay approximately $16,800 in funeral expenses and more the $9,700 to a state victim's assistance fund. Personal Quotes Asked if he enjoyed the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber, "Why, yes. In fact, I respect his work so much that one day I'd like to set it to music." Love is an obsessive delusion that is cured by marriage. The youth of today are so disappointing. They talk about nothing except themselves About Elvis Presley: You have no idea how great he is, really you don't. You have no comprehension - it's absolutely impossible. I can't tell you why he's so great, but he is. He's sensational. Where Are They Now (April 2007) On trial in Los Angeles for the alleged homicide of Lana Clarkson. (December 2010) Currently serving time for murder at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran. He is not eligible for parole until 2028 (Spector will be 88 years old). If he is not paroled then, under California law his sentence will become a life term.