Robert Alan Fraboni (born 23 April 1951) is an American, California-born record producer and audio engineer, well known for his work with Bob Dylan , The Band , Eric Clapton , The Rolling Stones , Tim Hardin , The Beach Boys , Joe Cocker , and Bonnie Raitt , and as Vice President at Island Records where he oversaw the remastering of the entire Bob Marley catalog. He produced the soundtrack on Martin Scorsese 's groundbreaking concert movie, The Last Waltz , which included an all-star cast of famous rock and roll performers. He built and designed the legendary Shangri-La studios in Malibu to the specification of Bob Dylan and The Band. Referred to as a "genius" by Keith Richards in his bestselling autobiography Life .
78-459: As a young teenager in southern California, he hitchhiked to Hollywood and sat in on recording sessions with Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios . He moved to New York City in 1971 and studied under Al Grundy at the Institute for Audio Research. From there he began working with Herb Abramson A-1 studios and recorded artists including Dave "Baby" Cortez and Michael Brown. He then went on to work at
156-542: A recluse , he withdrew temporarily from the public eye, marrying Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett , lead singer of the Ronettes, in 1968. Spector emerged briefly for a cameo as himself in an episode of I Dream of Jeannie (1967) and as a drug dealer in the film Easy Rider (1969). In 1969, Spector made a brief return to the music business by signing a production deal with A&M Records . A Ronettes single, "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" flopped, but Spector returned to
234-403: A Ladies' Man . This angered many devout Cohen fans who preferred his stark acoustic sound to the orchestral and choral wall of sound that the album contains. The recording was fraught with difficulty. After Cohen had laid down practice vocal tracks, Spector mixed the album in studio sessions, rather than allowing Cohen to take a role in the mixing, as Cohen had previously done. Cohen remarked that
312-578: A cover version using Darlene Love and the Blossoms on lead vocals. The record was released on Philles, attributed to the Crystals, and quickly rose to the top of the charts. By the time "He's a Rebel" went to number 1, Lester Sill was out of the company, and Spector had Philles all to himself. He created a new act, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans , featuring Darlene Love, Fanita James (a member of
390-578: A former promotion man who was a mentor to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller . Sill and his partner, Lee Hazlewood supported Spector's next project, the Spectors Three. In 1960, Sill arranged for Spector to work as an apprentice to Leiber and Stoller in New York. Spector co-wrote the Ben E. King Top 10 hit " Spanish Harlem " with Leiber and also worked as a session musician, playing the guitar solo on
468-556: A full-length studio debut, Everybody Want Sum , during the summer of 2010. Neville has played with and appeared on several Neville Brother records, as well as his father’s solo records. He performed in Bonnie Raitt 's band from 1985 to 1987 and contributed the song "All Day, All Night", co-written with bassist James Hutchison to her Nine Lives album. He also contributed keyboards to two Rolling Stones albums, 1986’s Dirty Work and 1994’s Voodoo Lounge as well as being
546-531: A fuller sound. Spector himself called his technique "a Wagnerian approach to rock & roll: little symphonies for the kids". Spector directed the overall sound of his recordings, using a core group that became known as the Wrecking Crew , including session players such as Hal Blaine , Larry Knechtel , Steve Douglas , Carol Kaye , Roy Caton , Glen Campbell , and Leon Russell . He delegated arrangements to Jack Nitzsche and had Sonny Bono oversee
624-705: A major influence on Spector's production style. In 1958, the Teddy Bears recorded the Spector-penned " Don't You Worry My Little Pet ", and then signed a two to three singles recording deal with Era Records , with the promise of more if the singles did well. At their next session, they recorded another song Spector had written—this one inspired by the epitaph on Spector's father's tombstone. Released on Era's subsidiary label, Dore Records, " To Know Him Is to Love Him " reached number one on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on December 1, 1958, selling over
702-625: A member of Keith Richards ’ solo band the X-Pensive Winos. In 1988, 1992 and 1993 he toured with Richards after recording Talk is Cheap and Main Offender , and was the opening act for the shows, since If My Ancestors Could See Me Now was released. Neville released his second solo album entitled Thanks in 1994. Apart from appearing on several other artists’ records , including Don Henley , Bonnie Raitt , Robbie Robertson , Rufus , Paula Abdul , and Delbert McClinton , he
780-456: A million copies by year's end. Following the success of their debut, the group signed with Imperial Records . Their next single, "I Don't Need You Anymore", reached number 91. They released several more recordings, including an album, The Teddy Bears Sing! , but failed to reach the top 100 in US sales. The group disbanded in 1959. While recording the Teddy Bears' album, Spector met Lester Sill ,
858-676: A sister named Shirley, who was six years his senior; she died in 2004 in Hemet, California , at the age of 70. In April 1949, Spector's father, who was deeply in debt, died by suicide; on his gravestone were inscribed the words "Ben Spector. Father. Husband. To Know Him Was To Love Him". In 1953, Spector's mother moved the family to Los Angeles where she found work as a seamstress. Spector attended John Burroughs Junior High School (now John Burroughs Middle School) on Wilshire Boulevard, then in 1955 attended Fairfax High School . Having learned to play guitar, Spector performed " Rock Island Line " in
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#1732779544931936-945: A sound consultant for the Dylan/Band tour in 1974. Also recorded at "the Village" were albums with Joe Cocker (including You Are So Beautiful ), Wayne Shorter and Nicholas Tremulis. In 1976, Fraboni designed and built Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, CA, to the precise specifications of Bob Dylan and The Band . He was president and co-owner of the studio for ten years he worked on The Band 's Northern Lights – Southern Cross , Eric Clapton 's No Reason to Cry , Wayne Shorter 's Native Dancer , Bonnie Raitt 's Green Light , Tim Hardin 's Unforgiven and Blondie Chaplin 's self-titled solo debut. Also during this time, he spent 18 months working with Martin Scorsese and The Band on
1014-829: A stark-sounding album devoid of any Wall of Sound extravagance. Through Harrison, he also produced the debut single by Derek and the Dominos , " Tell the Truth ", but the band disliked the sound and had the record withdrawn. Spector was made head of A&R for Apple Records . He held the post for only a year, during which he co-produced Lennon's 1971 single " Power to the People " (number 11) and his chart-topping album Imagine . The album's title track hit number 3. With Harrison, Spector co-produced Harrison's " Bangla Desh " (number 23)—rock's first charity single —and wife Ronnie Spector's " Try Some, Buy Some " (number 77). The latter
1092-483: A symphonic ambience, although his health issues meant that after recording the basic tracks, he was absent from the project until the mixing stage. Rolling Stone ' s reviewer lauded the album's sound, calling it " Wagnerian , Brucknerian , the music of mountain tops and vast horizons". The triple LP yielded two major hits: " My Sweet Lord " (number 1) and " What Is Life " (number 10). That same year, Spector co-produced Lennon's Plastic Ono Band (number 6),
1170-517: A talent show at Fairfax High. He joined a loose-knit community of aspiring musicians, including Lou Adler , Bruce Johnston , Steve Douglas , and Sandy Nelson . Spector formed a group, the Teddy Bears , with Nelson and three other friends, Marshall Leib , Harvey Goldstein and Annette Kleinbard . During this period, record producer Stan Ross—co-owner of Gold Star Studios in Hollywood —began to tutor Spector in record production and exerted
1248-633: A visit to Spector's mansion for an interview for the Lennon tribute film Strawberry Fields , Hargo played Spector the song and asked him to produce it. On March 19, 2007, Spector's murder trial began. Presiding Judge Larry Paul Fidler allowed the proceedings in Los Angeles Superior Court to be televised. On September 26, Fidler declared a mistrial because of a hung jury (ten to two for conviction). Released in December 2007,
1326-401: Is an American multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to the other members of The Neville Brothers . Neville has released four solo albums and had a Top 30 Billboard hit with the first single " Not Just Another Girl " from his debut solo album If My Ancestors Could See Me Now . "Not Just Another Girl" reached 26 on
1404-469: Is best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s along with his two trials and conviction for the murder of Lana Clarkson in the 2000s. Spector developed the Wall of Sound , a production style that is characterized for its diffusion of tone colors and dense orchestral sound, which he described as a " Wagnerian " approach to rock and roll . He is widely regarded as one of
1482-428: Is perceptible in many if not all of Spector's recordings, from the percussion in many of his hit songs: shakers, güiros ( gourds ), and maracas in "Be My Baby" and the son montuno in "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (heard clearly in the song's bridge, played by session bassist Carol Kaye , while the same repeating refrain is played on harpsichord by Larry Knechtel ). Spector's trademark during his recording career
1560-484: The B-side of which was "Tired of Trying", written by DuShon. In 1962, Spector briefly took a job as an A&R producer for Liberty Records. It was while working at Liberty that he heard a song written by Gene Pitney , for whom he had produced a number 41 hit, "Every Breath I Take", a year earlier. " He's a Rebel " was due to be released on Liberty by Vikki Carr , but Spector rushed into Gold Star Studios and recorded
1638-696: The Billboard charts. His second single "Falling Out of Love" was a duet with singer Bonnie Raitt that reached 91 on the Billboard charts. The song was also featured in the 1989 comedy Skin Deep , starring John Ritter . Neville's recording of "Why Can't I Fall in Love" was featured on the 1990 soundtrack to the Allan Moyle film, Pump Up the Volume . Neville and his band, Dumpstaphunk , self-released
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#17327795449311716-492: The Hank Williams tribute album, Timeless . For Hubert Sumlin 's About Them Shoes he received a 2005 Grammy nomination for "Best Blues Album" and won "Best Blues Album" at The Blues Music Awards in 2006. See full discography at Rob Fraboni Discography Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer , songwriter , and convicted murderer. He
1794-669: The Warner-Spector label with Warner Bros. Records , which undertook new Spector-produced recordings with Cher , Darlene Love, Danny Potter, and Jerri Bo Keno, in addition to several reissues. A similar relationship with Britain's Polydor Records led to the formation of the Phil Spector International label in 1975. When the Cher and Keno singles (the latter's recordings were only issued in Germany) foundered on
1872-401: The 1970s progressed, Spector became increasingly reclusive. The most probable and significant reason for his withdrawal, according to biographer Dave Thompson , was that in 1974 he was seriously injured when he was thrown through the windshield of his car in a crash in Hollywood . Spector was almost killed, and it was only because the attending police officer detected a faint pulse that Spector
1950-493: The 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. In early 1981, shortly after the death of John Lennon, he temporarily re-emerged to co-produce Yoko Ono 's Season of Glass . In 1989, Tina Turner inducted Spector into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. Rolling Stone reported, "Spector hit the stage bopping madly to the strains of the Ronettes' "Be My Baby", flanked by three beefy bodyguards who practically elbowed Tina out of
2028-832: The B-side of "Hung on You"), and " Ebb Tide " (number 5). Despite having hits, he lost interest in producing the Righteous Brothers and sold their contract and all their master recordings to Verve Records . However, the sound of the Righteous Brothers' singles was so distinctive that the act chose to replicate it after leaving Spector, notching a second number 1 hit in 1966 with the Bill Medley –produced " (You're My) Soul and Inspiration ". During this period, Spector formed another subsidiary label, Phi-Dan Records , partly created to keep promoter Danny Davis occupied. The label released singles by artists including Betty Willis ,
2106-637: The Beatles' abandoned Let It Be recording sessions into a usable album. He went to work using many of his production techniques, making significant changes to the arrangements and sound of some songs. Released a month after the Beatles' break-up, the album topped the U.S. and UK charts. It also yielded the number 1 U.S. single " The Long and Winding Road ". Spector's overdubbing of "The Long and Winding Road" infuriated its composer, Paul McCartney . In addition to McCartney, several music critics also criticized Spector's work on Let It Be . Spector claimed this
2184-469: The Blossoms), and Bobby Sheen, a singer he had worked with at Liberty. The group had hits with " Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah " (number 8), " Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart " (number 38), and " Not Too Young to Get Married " (number 63). Spector also released solo material by Darlene Love in 1963. In the same year, he released " Be My Baby " by the Ronettes , which went to number 2. The first time Spector put
2262-846: The Drifters ' song " On Broadway ". Spector's first true recording artist and project as producer was Ronnie Crawford. Spector's production work during this time included releases by LaVern Baker , Ruth Brown , and Billy Storm, as well as the Top Notes' original recording of " Twist and Shout ". Leiber and Stoller recommended Spector to produce Ray Peterson 's " Corrine, Corrina ", which reached number 9 in January 1961. Later, he produced another major hit for Curtis Lee , "Pretty Little Angel Eyes", which made it to number 7. Returning to Hollywood, Spector agreed to produce one of Sill's acts. After both Liberty Records and Capitol Records turned down
2340-652: The Ducanes, the Creations, and the Crystals . The first two signed with other companies, but Spector managed to secure the Crystals for his new label. Their first single, " There's No Other (Like My Baby) " was a success, hitting number 20. Their next release, "Uptown", made it to number 13. Spector continued to work freelance with other artists. In 1962, he produced "Second Hand Love" by Connie Francis , which reached No. 7. Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic paired Spector with future Broadway star Jean DuShon for "Talk to Me",
2418-506: The Hot 100 with " Black Pearl ", by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, Ltd. , which reached number 13. In early 1970, Allen Klein , the new manager of the Beatles , brought Spector to England. After impressing with his production of John Lennon 's solo single " Instant Karma! ", which went to number 3, Spector was invited by Lennon and George Harrison to take on the task of turning
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2496-533: The Lovelites , and the Ikettes . None of the recordings on Phi-Dan were produced by Spector. The recording of " Unchained Melody ", credited on some releases as a Spector production although Medley has consistently said he produced it originally as an album track, had a second wave of popularity 25 years after its initial release, when it was featured prominently in the 1990 hit movie Ghost . A re-release of
2574-618: The Record Plant with engineers Chris Stone, Roy Cicala, Jack Adams, Shelly Yakus, Tom Flye, Jack Douglas, Jimmy Iovine , and Dennis Ferrante. While at the Record Plant he worked with musicians including Bob Dylan , Allen Ginsberg , Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles, Eric Carmen 's the Raspberries, and John Lennon . In 1972 Fraboni moved back to California and was hired as a maintenance engineer at The Village Recorder but
2652-557: The United States. The record, which actually featured Tina Turner without Ike Turner , was successful in Britain, reaching number 3. Spector released another single by Ike & Tina Turner, " I'll Never Need More Than This ", while negotiating a deal to move Philles to A&M Records in 1967. The deal did not materialize, and Spector subsequently lost enthusiasm for his label and the recording industry. Already something of
2730-577: The age of 21, he became the youngest-ever U.S. label owner at the time. Dubbed the " First Tycoon of Teen ", Spector came to be considered the first auteur of the music industry, for the unprecedented control he had over every phase of the recording process. He produced acts such as The Ronettes , The Crystals , and Ike & Tina Turner , and typically collaborated with arranger Jack Nitzsche and engineer Larry Levine . The musicians from his de facto house band , later known as " The Wrecking Crew ", rose to industry fame through his hit records. In
2808-476: The benefit album Sing Me Back Home with producers Leo Sacks and Ray Bardani at Wire Studios in Austin, Texas. Neville's searing version of John Fogerty 's " Fortunate Son " was critically acclaimed. "Catharsis never sounded cooler," raved Entertainment Weekly . In 2007, with Dumpstaphunk and B.B. King , he participated in a tribute album to fellow New Orleans musician Fats Domino , contributing his version of
2886-440: The best known and most successful Ramones singles, such as " Rock 'n' Roll High School ", " Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? ", and their cover of a previously released Spector song for the Ronettes, " Baby, I Love You ". Guitarist Johnny Ramone later commented on working with Spector on the recording of the album, "It really worked when he got to a slower song like " Danny Says "—the production really worked tremendously. For
2964-575: The bill were the Righteous Brothers . Spector, who was conducting the band for all the acts, was so impressed with Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield that he bought their contract from Moonglow Records and signed them to Philles. In early 1965, " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' " became the label's second number 1 single. Three more major hits with the duo followed: " Just Once in My Life " (number 9), " Unchained Melody " (number 4, originally
3042-432: The charts, Spector released Dion DiMucci 's Born to Be with You to little commercial fanfare in 1975; largely produced and recorded by Spector in 1974, it was subsequently disowned by the singer. In the 1990s and 2000s, the album enjoyed a resurgence among the indie rock cognoscenti. Spector began to reemerge later in the decade, producing and co-writing a controversial 1977 album by Leonard Cohen , titled Death of
3120-761: The company, handling signings, A&R, product management, artist development, quality control, and remastering of artists' catalogs. He worked as executive producer on Melissa Etheridge 's self-titled debut record; served as music director on the Good to Go Film Project; worked with Robert Palmer ; helped remaster U2's Joshua Tree ; produced Buckwheat Zydeco , Nick Tremulis, and John Martyn ; signed Etta James to Island; sat in on sessions with The Bongos ; and went to Barry Diament, to remaster all of Bob Marley 's catalog for CD on Tuff Gong in 1989. After leaving Island just prior to its sale to Polygram, he worked with Phoebe Snow and Wendy Wall . Fraboni started Domino Records in
3198-497: The court case proceedings shown try to give further explanation of the facts surrounding the murder charges leveled against him. He also speaks about the musical instincts that led him to create some of his most enduring hit records, from "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" to "River Deep, Mountain High", as well as Let It Be , along with criticisms he feels he has had to deal with throughout his life. The retrial of Spector for murder in
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3276-724: The early '90s, which released recordings by Alvin Lee , John Mooney , Cowboy Mouth, and Rusty Kershaw. With new backing for Ardeo Records in the mid-'90s, he released Ivan Neville 's Thanks , Gary Nicholson 's The Sky's Not the Limit , and Bellevue Cadillac's Black and White . He produced John Mooney again for the House of Blues release Against the Wall . At Keith Richards' home in Jamaica during Thanksgiving 1995, he and Richards co-produced some of
3354-409: The early 1970s, Spector produced the Beatles ' Let It Be and several solo records by John Lennon and George Harrison . By the mid-1970s, Spector had produced eighteen U.S. Top 10 singles for various artists. His chart-toppers included the Righteous Brothers ' " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' ", the Beatles' " The Long and Winding Road ", and Harrison's " My Sweet Lord ". Spector helped establish
3432-675: The entire album, but was fired owing to personal and creative differences. One of the two Spector-produced songs on the album, the title track , was a UK top 10 single (the other single being "White Dove"). On February 3, 2003, Spector shot actress Lana Clarkson in the mouth while in his mansion (the Pyrenees Castle) in Alhambra, California . Her body was found slumped in a chair with a single gunshot wound to her mouth. Spector told Esquire in July ;2003 that Clarkson's death
3510-454: The first time, but were characterized by substance abuse and chaotic arrangements. Amid the party atmosphere, Spector brandished his handguns and at one point fired a shot while Lennon was recording. In December, Lennon and Spector abandoned the collaboration. Since the studio time had been booked by his production company, Spector withheld the tapes until June the following year, when Lennon reimbursed him through Capitol Records . As
3588-484: The funeral of Ike Turner . In his eulogy, Spector criticized Tina Turner's autobiography—and its subsequent promotion by Oprah Winfrey —as a "badly written" book that "demonized and vilified Ike". Spector commented that "Ike made Tina the jewel she was. When I went to see Ike play at the Cinegrill in the '90s ... there were at least five Tina Turners on the stage performing that night, and any one of them could have been
3666-458: The group was not a proper recording act and did not contribute enough to music to merit an induction. The Ronettes were eventually inducted into the Hall, but not until 2007. He attempted to work with Céline Dion on her album Falling into You but fell out with her production team. His last released project was Silence Is Easy by Starsailor , in 2003. He was originally supposed to produce
3744-513: The harder stuff, it didn't work as well." Rumors circulated for years that Spector had threatened members of the Ramones with a gun during the sessions. Dee Dee Ramone claimed that Spector once pulled a gun on him when he tried to leave a session. Drummer Marky Ramone recalled in 2008, "They [guns] were there but he had a license to carry. He never held us hostage. We could have left at any time." Spector remained inactive throughout most of
3822-605: The live recording of the Harrison-organized Concert for Bangladesh shows in New York City, which resulted in the number 1 triple album The Concert for Bangladesh . The album won the "Album of the Year" award at the 1973 Grammys . Despite being recorded live, Spector used up to 44 microphones simultaneously to create his trademark Wall of Sound. Following Harrison's death in 2001, Spector said that
3900-578: The master of "Be My Boy" by the Paris Sisters , Sill formed a new label, Gregmark Records , with Lee Hazlewood , and released it. It reached only number 56, but the follow-up, " I Love How You Love Me ", was a hit, reaching number 5. In late 1961, Spector formed a record company with Sill, who by this time had ended his business partnership with Hazlewood. Philles Records combined the first names of its two founders. Through Hill and Range Publishers, Spector found three groups he wanted to produce:
3978-550: The most creative period of his career was when he worked with Lennon and Harrison in the early 1970s, and he believed that this was true of Lennon and Harrison also, despite their achievements with the Beatles. Lennon retained Spector for the 1971 Christmas single " Happy Xmas (War Is Over) " and the poorly reviewed 1972 album Some Time in New York City (number 48), both collaborations with Yoko Ono . In late 1972, Apple reissued Spector's A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records (as Phil Spector's Christmas Album ), bringing
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#17327795449314056-497: The most influential figures in pop music history and one of the most successful producers of the 1960s. Born in the Bronx , Spector moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and began his career in 1958, as a founding member of The Teddy Bears , for whom he penned, " To Know Him Is to Love Him ", a U.S. number-one hit. In 1960, after working as an apprentice to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller , Spector co-founded Philles Records , and at
4134-620: The only nyahbinghi recordings ever made outdoors. Keith's label, Mindless Records released these as The Wingless Angels . He also produced Keith Richards ' material on the Rolling Stone's Bridges to Babylon in 1997 as well as served as a sound consultant on the subsequent tour. Fraboni launched his QRS Entertainment in 2003 with About Them Shoes , a recording by Hubert Sumlin which features appearances by Clapton, Keith Richards, and others. The label also has music by Nick Tremulis, Sir Mack Rice, Sean Walshe, and Blondie Chaplin. Fraboni
4212-542: The performances, viewing these two as his "lieutenants". Spector frequently used songs from songwriters employed at the Brill Building (Trio Music) and at 1650 Broadway (Aldon Music), such as the teams of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry , Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil , and Gerry Goffin and Carole King . He often worked with the songwriters, receiving co-credit and publishing royalties for compositions. Ivan Neville Ivan Neville (born August 19, 1959)
4290-554: The project. Harrison recalled having to climb down into Spector's central London hotel room from the roof to get him to attend the sessions, and that his co-producer would then need "eighteen cherry brandies before he could get himself down to the studio". In late 1973, Spector produced the initial recording sessions for what became Lennon's 1975 covers album Rock 'n' Roll (number 6). The sessions were held in Los Angeles, with Lennon allowing Spector free rein as producer for
4368-595: The real Tina Turner." In mid-April 2008, BBC Two broadcast a special titled Phil Spector: The Agony and the Ecstasy , by Vikram Jayanti . It consists of Spector's first screen interview—breaking a long period of media silence. During the conversation, images from the murder court case are juxtaposed with live appearances of his tracks on television programs from the 1960s and 1970s, along with subtitles giving critical interpretations of some of his song production values. While he does not directly try to clear his name,
4446-567: The recordings the commercial success and critical recognition that had originally eluded the 1963 release. Lennon and Ono's "Happy Xmas" single similarly stalled in sales upon its initial release, but later became a fixture on radio station playlists around Christmas. Harrison and Spector started work on Harrison's Living in the Material World album in October 1972, but Spector's unreliability soon led to Harrison dismissing him from
4524-574: The result is "grotesque", but also "semi-virtuous"—for many years, he included a reworked version of the track "Memories" in live concerts. Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg also participated in the background vocals on "Don't Go Home with Your Hard-On". Spector also produced the much-publicized Ramones album End of the Century in 1979. As with his work with Leonard Cohen, End of the Century received criticism from Ramones fans who were angered over its radio-friendly sound. However, it contains some of
4602-528: The role of the studio as an instrument , the integration of pop art aesthetics into music ( art pop ), and the genres of art rock and dream pop . His honors include the 1973 Grammy Award for Album of the Year , for co-producing Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh , a 1989 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , and a 1997 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame . In 2004, Spector
4680-545: The same amount of effort into an LP as he did into 45s was when he utilized the full Philles roster and the Wrecking Crew to make what he felt would become a hit for the 1963 Christmas season. A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records was released a few days after the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963. On September 28, 1963, the Ronettes appeared at the Cow Palace , near San Francisco. Also on
4758-418: The second degree began on October 20, 2008, with Judge Fidler again presiding; the retrial was not televised. Spector was once again represented by attorney Jennifer Lee Barringer. The case went to the jury on March 26, 2009, and 18 days later, on April 13, the jury returned a guilty verdict. Additionally, Spector was found guilty of using a firearm in the commission of a crime, which added four years to
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#17327795449314836-460: The sentence. He was immediately taken into custody and, on May 29, 2009, was sentenced to 19 years to life in the California state prison system . Various attempted appeals were unsuccessful, in 2011, 2012, and 2016. Spector died in a prison hospital in January 2021. Spector's early musical influences included Latin music in general, and Latin percussion in particular. This
4914-799: The single re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 , and went to number one on the Adult Contemporary charts . This also put Spector back on the U.S. Top 40 charts for the first time since his last appearance in 1971 with John Lennon 's " Imagine ", though he did have UK top 40 hits in the interim with the Ramones . Spector's final signing to Philles was the husband-and-wife team of Ike & Tina Turner in April 1966. Spector considered their single " River Deep – Mountain High " his best work, but it failed to reach any higher than number 88 in
4992-458: The song " B Boy Baby " by Mutya Buena and Amy Winehouse featured melodic and lyrical passages heavily influenced by "Be My Baby". As a result, Spector was given a songwriting credit on the single. The sections from "Be My Baby" were sung by Winehouse, not sampled from the mono single. Winehouse referenced her admiration of Spector's work and often performed Spector's first hit song, " To Know Him Is to Love Him ". That same month, Spector attended
5070-504: The soundtrack for The Last Waltz , considered one of the greatest concert films ever made. Also during this time, in both Eric Clapton and Pattie Boyd's separate biographies, he is credited with delivering the actual proposal between the two and served as Best Man at their wedding. In 1985, Fraboni was hired and moved back to New York by Island Records' founder Chris Blackwell as the corporate vice president of Island Records. There he worked closely with Blackwell in all creative aspects of
5148-412: The title song to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino ( Vanguard Records ). Neville appears in performance footage in the 2005 documentary film Make It Funky! , which presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on rhythm and blues , rock and roll , funk and jazz . In the film, he performs on " Rip It Up " as guest vocalist with Earl Palmer and the house band, and on "Fire on
5226-505: The way. He mumbled a few incoherent words about George H. W. Bush and the presidential inauguration , and then his bodyguards carried him away again." He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997 and he received the Grammy Trustees Award in 2000. In 1994, Spector wrote a letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's nominating committee to oppose the Ronettes being considered for induction. He argued that
5304-649: Was a member of the Spin Doctors , touring and recording on the group's album Here Comes the Bride in 1999–2000, including assuming lead vocal duties when Chris Barron lost his voice . In 2003, he formed his own band Dumpstaphunk and appeared, among other places, on the Late Show with David Letterman . When the levees failed in New Orleans in 2005, Neville joined The New Orleans Social Club and recorded
5382-567: Was an "accidental suicide" and that she "kissed the gun". The emergency call from Spector's home, made by Spector's driver, Adriano de Souza, quotes Spector as saying, "I think I killed somebody." De Souza added that he saw Spector come out of the back door of the house with a gun in his hand. Spector remained free on $ 1 million bail while awaiting trial. In the meantime, Spector produced singer-songwriter Hargo Khalsa's track (known professionally as Hargo) "Crying for John Lennon", which originally appears on Hargo's 2006 album In Your Eyes . On
5460-424: Was born as Baruch in the Russian Empire to George and Bessie Spektus or Spektres, and brought to America by his parents in 1913 aged 10. Both families anglicized their last names to "Spector" on their naturalization papers , both of which were witnessed by the same man, Isidore Spector. The similarities in name and background of the grandfathers led Spector to believe that his parents were first cousins. He had
5538-493: Was convicted of the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison, where he died, in 2021. Harvey Philip Spector was born on December 26, 1939. His parents were Benjamin (1903–1949) and Bertha (1911–1995) Spector, a first-generation immigrant Russian-Jewish family in the Bronx , New York City. Bertha had been born in France to Russian migrants George and Clara Spektor, who brought her to America in 1911 aged 9 months, while Benjamin
5616-632: Was nominated for Producer of the Year at the New York Music Awards in 1989 for a Wendy Wall album on SBK which won Best Folk Album of the Year. He received a Grammy nomination in 1982 for a Bonnie Raitt record, Green Light , as well as a Grammy nomination in 1978 for The Last Waltz movie soundtrack. The Stones' Bridges to Babylon was nominated for Best Rock Album of 1997. He won a Grammy in 2002 for best Country Album for his production of Keith Richards ' performance of " You Win Again " on
5694-473: Was not declared dead at the scene. He was admitted to the UCLA Medical Center on the night of March 31, suffering serious head injuries that required several hours of surgery, with over 300 stitches to his face and more than 400 to the back of his head. His head injuries, Thompson suggests, were the reason that Spector began his habit of wearing outlandish wigs in later years. He established
5772-436: Was partly due to resentment that an American producer appeared to be "taking over" such a popular English band. Lennon defended Spector, telling Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone : "he was given the shittiest load of badly recorded shit, with a lousy feeling toward it, ever. And he made something out of it. He did a great job." For Harrison's multiplatinum album All Things Must Pass (number 1, 1970), Spector helped provide
5850-518: Was quickly promoted to chief engineer by owner Geordie Hormel . There he engineered " Sail On, Sailor " for The Beach Boys and mixed half of the Holland record, which would be his first album that made it on the charts. He then worked with Jimmy Miller on the Rolling Stones album Goat's Head Soup as well as Planet Waves with Bob Dylan and The Band . Dylan then invited him to be
5928-443: Was ranked number 63 on Rolling Stone ' s list of the greatest artists in history . Following one-off productions for Leonard Cohen ( Death of a Ladies' Man ), Dion DiMucci ( Born to Be with You ), and the Ramones ( End of the Century ), from the 1980s on, Spector remained largely inactive, amid a lifestyle of seclusion, drug use, and increasingly erratic behavior. In 2009, after two decades in semi-retirement, he
6006-562: Was recorded for Ronnie's intended solo album on Apple Records, a project that stalled due to the same erratic, alcohol-fueled behavior from Spector that had hindered work on All Things Must Pass . Spector was convinced that the Harrison-written single would be a major hit, and its poor commercial performance was one of the biggest disappointments of his career. , a single protesting the jailing of Oz magazine's editors on obscenity charges. That same year Spector oversaw
6084-423: Was the so-called Wall of Sound , a production technique yielding a dense, layered effect that reproduced well on AM radio and jukeboxes . To attain this signature sound, Spector gathered large groups of musicians (playing some instruments not generally used for ensemble playing, such as electric and acoustic guitars ) playing orchestrated parts—often doubling and tripling many instruments playing in unison —for
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