Phil Knight

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Lore & Background

Born in the Bronx, Spector relocated to Los Angeles as a teenager and co-founded the Teddy Bears in 1958, writing their chart-topping single "To Know Him Is to Love Him". With Lester Sill, he co-established Philles Records in 1961, becoming the youngest U.S. label owner at the time, and exerted unprecedented artistic control over his recordings, typically working in collaboration with a rotation of songwriting teams, arranger Jack Nitzsche, and engineer Larry Levine. His studio band, later known as the Wrecking Crew, rose to industry prominence through his success with acts like the Crystals, Darlene Love, the Ronettes, and the Righteous Brothers. His second marriage, lasting 1968 to 1974, was to Ronettes singer Veronica Bennett. In the 1970s, he produced the Beatles' Let It Be, solo recordings by John Lennon and George Harrison, and Dion DiMucci's Born to Be with You, Leonard Cohen's Death of a Ladies' Man, and the Ramones' End of the Century. By 1980, he had semi-retired from music.

Reader's Guide

Spector ultimately produced nineteen U.S. top-ten singles, including four additional number-ones (the Crystals' "He's a Rebel", the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road", and Harrison's "My Sweet Lord"). He is credited with having a significant impact on rock music, the girl group sound, in-studio composition, and the professional function of record producers themselves. He contributed to the development of music genres and movements such as psychedelia, art rock/pop, noise pop, dream pop, and shoegaze. In 1989, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After the 1980s, Spector remained largely inactive amid periods of reclusion, substance abuse, and erratic behavior. In 2009, he was convicted of the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison, where he died in 2021.

Did You Know?

• Spector's father died by suicide in April 1949; his gravestone read 'Ben Spector. Father. Husband. To Know Him Was To Love Him', which inspired Spector's song 'To Know Him Is to Love Him'.
• Spector became the youngest U.S. label owner at age 21 when he co-founded Philles Records in 1961.
• He produced the Beatles' Let It Be, solo recordings by John Lennon and George Harrison, and the Ramones' End of the Century.
• In 2009, Spector was convicted of the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison.
• Spector was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.