“Wall of Sound” Producer Phil Spector murder trial set

By M&C News Jun 27, 2006, 18:45 GMT

Phil Spector, Legendary music producer, known for his “wall of sound” effect in early sixties girl group records, will go on trial this January for killing an actress, almost four years after the fatal shooting occurred.

Spector, who pleaded not guilty, is free on $1 million bail.

According to History-of-Rock.com “Spector was a millionaire at the age of twenty-one…and began recording on the West Coast, where he developed his Wall of Sound in earnest, using session men as guitarists Glen Campbell, Sonny Bono, and Barney Kessel, pianist Leon Russell, and drummer Hal Blaine.

Within three years Spector had twenty consecutive hits, including the Crystal's "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Then He Kissed Me," and "He's Sure the Boy I Love"; the Ronettes' "Be My Baby," "Baby I Love You," (The Best Part of) Breakin' Up," and "Walking in the Rain"; Darlene Love's "(Today I Met) the Boy I'm Gonna Marry" and "Wait 'til My Bobby Gets Home"; and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans' Zip-a-Dee Doo-Dah."

“Phil Spector and Philles Records continued to have hits through 1964, the year of the British invasion….but by this time even he could not stand up to the British onslaught. He started ‘Annette Records’, named for his wife, and discovered Cher, calling her Bonnie Jo Mason on her first ‘Annette’ single.

Spector, 66, is accused of fatally shooting Lana Clarkson, 40, in the foyer of his Los Angeles-area mansion in February, 2003.  An autopsy report concluded that Clarkson, an actress in "Barbarian Queen" and "Amazon Women on the Moon," died after a revolver was placed into her mouth and fired.

Spector's lawyers argue that Clarkson committed suicide, “echoing claims the producer made to police shortly after they arrived on the scene.” According to Billboard Magazine.