The Ronettes were another
of the great girl groups. Supported by their producer, Phil
Spector, the
Ronettes' star shown
bright for three years before their songs fell off the charts.
The group consisted of
lead singer Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett, her sister Estelle Bennett, and
their cousin Nedra
Talley. Ronnie was born
in 1945, her sister in 1944, and their cousin in 1946; all were from New
York City. They
began dancing and started
to sing professionally while still in junior high in the late 50's. They
were known as the
Darling Sisters, and
later as Ronnie and the Relatives they recorded some songs for Col-Pix
which failed to chart.
In the early 60's the
Peppermint Lounge in New York City was the place to be. The house band
there was Joey
Dee and the Starliters,
whose Peppermint Twist - Part I became a number one song. The girls put
on party dresses
and went there, eventually
getting jobs as dancers. People in the music business began to notice them.
They
appeared in a movie with
disk jockey Clay Cole, Twist Around The Clock. The Twist was a dance sensation,
and
the Bennett sisters and
their cousin could twist with the best of them.
They worked up the courage
to call the hot young record producer, Phil Spector, and began singing
backup for him
in 1962. Spector was
enamored of Ronnie. He signed them to his Philles label and their name
was changed to the
Ronettes. After some
time in New York, Spector left for the West Coast and took the Ronettes
with him. He had
been successful with
the Crystals and with some other artists, but now his attention was on
featuring Ronnie on his
records. He used his
contacts with Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Barry
Mann, Cynthia
Weil, and others in the
Brill Building to come up with some songs. The first and biggest for the
Ronettes was Be My
Baby. Spector was a meticulous
producer and Ronnie was a very good rock-and-roll singer. On their songs
they
were usually backed by
other musicians, some of whom would later go on to careers of their own
as recording
artists. These included
Darlene Love, Nino Tempo, Sonny and Cher, Hal Blaine, and Leon Russell.
Be My Baby
was an instant hit, and
went to number two in the Fall of 1963. Other hits followed: Baby, I Love
You, [The Best
Part Of] Breakin' Up,
Do I Love You? and Walking In The Rain all were top forty songs in 1964.
All were
recorded at Spector's
favorite recording studio, Gold Star in Los Angeles. The Ronettes travelled
to England with
Phil and met the Beatles,
with whom they became friends. They toured the British Isles with the Rolling
Stones.
They appeared in the
T.A.M.I. show. Walking In The Rain, which had been recorded in one take,
won a grammy
for special effects.
Phil Spector and Ronnie
Bennett's relationship eventually developed into a full-fledged romance,
culminating in
their marriage in 1968
[and subsequent divorce, in 1974]. The energy between the two helped to
make the
Ronettes the success
that they were. By 1965 Phil had turned his attentions to promoting other
acts such as the
Righteous Brothers, and
the Ronettes' aura began to fade. They placed no more songs in the top
forty. Although
they were coming up with
good material and still making good songs, their records were not selling
and they
stopped recording altogether
in 1966.
Ronnie Spector continued
her singing career, at first with others and eventually as a solo act.
She made solo
albums, including one
called Siren in 1980 that has been very well received by her many fans.
She has worked with
artists such as George
Harrison, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and Bruce Springsteen.
In 1986 she
collaborated with Eddie
Money on his top ten hit Take Me Home Tonight, which incorporated Ronnie's
singing of
the lead line from Be
My Baby. Ronnie Spector has the respect of a great many people in the music
business, both
for her talent as a performer
and for her likable nature and willingness to cooperate. She titled her
autobiography
Be My Baby. She now is
remarried and living in Connecticut, and she continues to perform.
The Ronettes' run lasted
about three years. They produced some very good rock-and-roll songs and
are
remembered as one of
the great girl groups.