Though Tragic, ‘Phil Spector’ Focus Brings Black Music History to Forefront

Last night, HBO debuted ‘Phil Spector,’ a riveting film starring Al Pacino, which centers on the last trial days of the legendary “Wall of Sound” producer convicted of murder in 2009. The film highlights the eccentric music powerhouse’s career downfall and legal defense, a fictional account based on elements of reality. Though the film brings back to the forefront Spector’s alleged sordid past and details of a horrific murder, it also brings back music history, as The Beatles producer was involved in launching the success of many music heavyweights.

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As the public relives the events of the trial via the film, check out black music heavyweights his Wall of Sound helped launch into superstardom:

Ike & Tina Turner

Tina Turner recorded “River Deep, Mountain High,” with then-husband, Ike Turner, in 1966, a song produced by Spector. Though it did not successfully chart in the U.S. at the the time, it peaked at No. 3 on the U.K. charts and marked a landmark transition in sound and career for the duet. The song has since become one of Turner’s signature hits among audiences and in 1999, was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The Ronettes

Spector has been said to be a pioneer of girl groups, and the Ronettes was one of the most popular of the kind during the 1960s, touring with The Beatles at the height of their career. Signed to Spector’s Philles Records in 1963, the group would go on to record a string of Top 40 hits including “Walking in the Rain

,” which won a Grammy in 1965, and “Be My Baby,” which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2007, The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in the “Vocal Group Hall of Fame” in 2004. Ben. E. King & Aretha Franklin

Best known as the singer and co-writer of Top 10 hit “Stand by Me

,” and a lead singer of the The Drifters, King had another hit in 1960 co-written by Spector called “Spanish Harlem.” It was later ranked No. 349 on Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” and was covered by Aretha Franklin in 1971, becoming a chart topper and earning the songstress gold status for sales of over a million.