Phil Spector

Phil Spector was a producer from the Bronx who developed what became known as the Wall of Sound in the 1960s. That approach layered instruments and vocals into something dense and echo-heavy, giving records like "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Chapel of Love" their particular weight and atmosphere.

He worked with a range of artists, producing tracks for The Ronettes and Tina Turner, and had a hand in The Beatles' "Let It Be" album. Among the songs he produced is "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," written by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, which has become a holiday standard with its orchestral swell and plaintive vocal.

Spector's later life was marked by legal troubles and personal difficulties, but his production work from that earlier period remains a distinct part of 1960s pop music. The sound he built on those records, big, layered, and dramatic, still surfaces in conversations about how pop records are made.