Phil Spector

Harvey Phillip "Phil" Spector (born December 26, 1940) is a highly influential record producer who turned out some of the best-known popular music of the 1960s and 1970s. The originator of the "Wall of Sound" production technique, Spector first rose to prominence as one of the masterminds behind the 1960's girl group sound. Later in his career he worked with more varied artists, including The Beatles and The Ramones. In 2003 Spector returned to public awareness when he was indicted for murder.

Early life and career

Phil Spector was born into a lower-middle class Jewish family in the Bronx, New York. In 2003, he would reveal in an interview with journalist Mick Brown that his parents were first cousins. "I don't know, genetically, whether or not that had something to do with what I am or who I became," he said. His father committed suicide because of family indebtedness in 1949, and Spector and his family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1953.

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Despite his shyness, Spector quickly became heavily involved in the local music scene. His first band was the Teddy Bears, in which he had songwriting and guitar playing duties and was one of three vocalists. The Teddy Bears had one major hit, "To Know Him is to Love Him", which sold over 1 million copies after its release in 1958; the title of the song was taken from Spector's father's epitaph.

Related Topics:
Teddy Bears - Epitaph

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