Phil Spector

He is one of the most influential producers in the history of popular music, developer of the concept 'sound wall' and such a sound effect as flanger. Since 1989 his name appeared in the rock'n roll Hall of glory. In 2009 the 69-year-old musician has been sentenced to 19-year-old imprisonment term for murder of actress Lara Clarkson.

Spector was born in Bronx in the family of Jews, whose ancestors had immigrated to the USA from the Russian empire. He began musical career in 1958 as an author of songs, guitarist and backup-vocalist of the Californian group The Teddy Bears. The same year the band reached the first line in Billboard Hot 100 with single To Know Him Is to Love Him.

One year later 20-year-old Spector left The Teddy Bears and returned to New York where cooperated with Ben King at the legendary record Spanish Harlem, started career of the singer Sher and collected teenage 'girl band' the Crystals. In the early sixties 24 Spector's produced singles were noted among the best forty songs of the USA, and 'the opera for teenagers' He's a Rebel performed by the Crystals reached in 1962 1st line in charts.

Spector's records of 1960s changed sounding of popular music. Spector used not only traditional guitars and the piano, as well as whole orchestra with wind section and exotic percussion. By numerous doubles he achieved the most harmonious effect so that instruments didn't suppress singer's emotional vocal. He named his revolutionary technology of arrangement as 'sound wall'.

In 1963 Speсtor began cooperation with the new band 'The Ronettes'. Its solo singer Ronni Bennett was his girlfriend and future wife. Their 'teenage pop symphony' Be My Baby (2nd place in charts) became their greatest success. The magazine Rolling Stone put it on 22nd place in the list of the greatest records. In 1964 he produced two more records from this list - Walking in the Rain (The Ronettes) and Chapel of Love (The Dixie Cups).

In the mid-sixties Spector abandoned working with girl bands in favour of producing soul duets The Righteous Brothers and Ike and Tina Turner. He spent great sums of money for every single. Thousand dollars were spent for uncountable doubles and attraction tens musicians for recording.

Top 'sound wall' experiments were carried out with You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (The Righteous Brothers, 1 place in the USA, 1965) and River Deep Mountain High (with Ike and Tina, 3d place in Great Britain, 1966). According to polls carried out by Rolling Stone they got 34 and 33 places in the list of the best songs of rock'n roll epoch. The sales' results failed, Spector blame on bosses of the sound recording companies. It left show business for a while and retired with his spouse to the Californian estate.

In the late sixties Spector returned to vigorous activity. Upon request of Beatles he arranged and produced their latest album Let It Be. The result has been apprehended by the musical public ambiguously and was criticized. Lennon and Harrison had no claims towards Spector, so they continued cooperation by recording their debut solo albums.
After Lennon's Imagine (1971) Spector, known by his furious character, left show business. In seventies he periodically co-operated with Sher, Dion, Leonard Cohen and Ramones. Neither of these projects was a complete success.

In February, 2003 Spector was accused of murdering 40-year-old actress Lara Clarkson which had been shot by gun in mouth. Murder trial proceeded 6 years and ended with condemnation of Spector for 19-year-old term. He'll serve his term in Korkoran prison where, among other, the well-known maniac Charles Manson has been serving his term of imprisonment.