Phil Spector

Strictly speaking, Phil Spector wasn't even a performer -- he's a musician, but he very rarely released records under his name. However, as a producer -- and, to a significant extent, songwriter, label owner, and session player -- he has influenced the course of rock & roll for more than all but a handful of performers. The Wall of Sound that he perfected in the early '60s opened unlimited possibilities for arrangements and sound construction in rock and pop, and his brilliant talents imprinted the discs that he produced with an artistic vision that was much more attributable to him than the talented performers with whom he worked.



Spector entered the record business in 1958 as songwriter, guitarist, and backup singer for the L.A. group The Teddy Bears, who landed a left-field number one with their first release, "To Know Him Is to Love Him." The Teddy Bears couldn't follow their hit up and soon disbanded, but Spector almost immediately moved to New York and became a songwriter and producer. After producing a few hits, he founded his own label, Philles, and ran off a series of brilliant smashes, primarily with girl groups The Crystals and The Ronettes.

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