TINA

On this day in music history: March 7, 1966 - Tina Turner records her vocals on “River Deep - Mountain High” at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, CA. Written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich, it is first solo release by Tina Turner. Producer Phil Spector, long an admirer of Tina, approaches her about working together. Spector pays Ike $20,000 to stay away from the studio though he is billed on the finished single and album. “River Deep - Mountain High” is released in May of 1966 but flops in the US, peaking at #88 on the Hot 100. However, it is enthusiastically received in the UK where it peaks at #3. The records US failure devastates Spector so much, that he stops recording for over two years. In spite of its failure in the US, years later the epic song is covered by numerous artists, with the original recording being regarded as one of Phil Spector’s greatest productions. “River Deep - Mountain High” is inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1999.