He called the result “little symphonies for the kids”.īy his mid-20s he had produced about two dozen hit singles, making him a millionaire. The secrets to his sound were an overdubbed onslaught of instruments, vocals and sound effects that changed the way pop songs were recorded.

Springsteen and the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson replicated his recording techniques, and John Lennon called him “the greatest record producer ever”. Spector was convicted and sentenced in 2009 of murdering Clarkson six years earlier, after the actor was found shot dead in the foyer of his castle-like mansion on the edge of Los Angeles.ĭuring an initially highly successful career, Spector had been hailed as a visionary for creating the wall of sound that merged vocal harmonies with orchestral arrangements to produce pop hits such as Da Doo Ron Ron, Be My Baby and He’s a Rebel. He was transferred to hospital from his prison cell after his Covid diagnosis, according to the website TMZ. He also influenced artists ranging from the Beach Boys to Bruce Springsteen. Spector was famed for his “wall of sound” approach to recording music, producing 20 Top 40 hits between 19 and going on to work with the Beatles, the Righteous Brothers, and Ike and Tina Turner.

Phil spectre