School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Ronnie Spector

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Ronnie Spector was born in 1943 as Veronica Bennett in East Harlem, New York, and died in 2022. In the late 1950s she formed the vocal group The Ronettes with her sister Estelle and her cousin Nedra Talley. In 1963 they signed to Phil Spector's label Philles, and he produced the majority of their recordings. That began a series of hits in the 1960s: Be My Baby in 1963, Baby, I Love You in 1963, (The Best Part of) Breakin' Up and Do I Love You? in 1964 and Walking in the Rain in 1964.

Music and breakthrough

In 1965 the Ronettes were voted the third vocal group in England, behind the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. In 1966 they opened for the Beatles, although Ronnie had to stay at home because of Phil. She married Phil Spector in 1968 and after that hardly performed. In 1972 she left their home and in 1974 she filed for divorce.

Influence

Her first solo album, Siren, appeared in 1980. In 1986 she became known again through Take Me Home Tonight, a duet with Eddie Money. After that she made, among others, Unfinished Business, Something's Gonna Happen and English Heart. In 1990 her memoir Be My Baby was published. As a Ronette she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. Her voice, powerful and with a slight tear in it, gave the girl-group music of the 1960s a raw edge, and her image as the bad girl of rock 'n' roll made her a model for later female singers.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Be My Baby and notice the drums that open the song. Can you hear how her voice lifts itself above the thick wall of sound of the orchestra?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists