Ronnie Spector (1943- )

April 27, 2020 
/ Contributed By: Dominique McIndoe

Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes--Album Cover 1966

Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes (1966)

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Ronnie Spector is best known for being the lead singer of the legendary pop-rock girl group of the 1960โ€™s, The Ronettes. Her sultry and edgy voice in early rockโ€™s most famous records stamps her as an icon in music history.

She was born Veronica Yvette Bennett on August 10, 1943 in Spanish Harlem to an African American and Cherokee mother and Irish American father. Her love for music started at a young age, having grown up around aunts and uncles who were gifted at singing and playing musical instruments. In 1959, she performed at the Apollo Theaterโ€™s Amateur Night contest along with her older sister and cousins as The Darling Sisters.

First place at the amateur contest turned into music lessons, which turned into performing at birthday parties, sock hops, and bar mitzvahs throughout 1960. Ronnieโ€™s lead vocals accompanied by the harmonies of Estelle and Nedra caught the attention of Colpix Records in 1961. A succession of singles on the label as Ronnie and the Relatives werenโ€™t commercially successful. In 1962, after regular gigs at the Peppermint Lounge and the Brooklyn Fox Theatre in New York as back-up singers and dancers, stardom came. That year Ronnie and the girls met producer Phil Spector and signed to his label, Philles Records.

The Ronettesโ€™ chart-topping hits spanned from 1963 to 1966: โ€œBe My Babyโ€, โ€œBaby I Love Youโ€, and โ€œDo I Love Youโ€ just to name a few. Their only LP, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, debuted in November 1964. Phil Spectorโ€™s โ€œwall of soundโ€ recording technique and the bandโ€™s unique sense of style set them apart from their contemporaries. They sported dark eye makeup, bouffants, and sexy stage wear. Their success reached Great Britain where the Rolling Stones opened up several shows for their tour and they formed friendships with the Beatles.

Ronnie married Phil Spector in 1968, a year after The Ronettesโ€™ last live performance in January 1967. She had a couple of solo singles under the stage name โ€˜Veronicaโ€™ in the late 1960s but her musical career was put on hold when she and her husband began abusing alcohol and drugs. During this time Ronnie was held in virtual captivity by Phil in their mansion. They adopted a son, Dontรฉ, in 1969, but problems continued until her divorce from Phil in 1974. After the divorce Ronnie kept the last name Spector. She married Jonathan Greenfield in 1982.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Ronnieโ€™s solo career had its ups and downs. She revamped The Ronettes with new members in the early 1970s but with little success. She continued, however, to work with Billy Joel, George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and other leading artists and finally charted again in her 1986 duet with Eddie Money, โ€œTake Me Home Tonight,โ€ which enjoyed a Grammy nod and ample MTV airplay. She continued to make music with rock and roll greats well into the early 21st Century.

Including her career with The Ronettes, Ronnie Spector has made eight albums and EPs, wrote a memoir in 1990, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 with The Ronettes.

About the Author

Author Profile

Dominique McIndoe is a 2017 graduate of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, with a B.A. in Public Relations and Journalism. Since obtaining her bachelorโ€™s degree, she has been building her vocation in writing and journalism as an Editorial Assistant at New Jersey Monthly Magazine where she reported, researched and fact-checked news and editorial content in the magazine. She is now contracted with New Jersey Monthly Magazine as a Freelance Writer. Dominique has also been a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) since 2018. She is an active member in her community, working as a Vacation Bible School teacher at her local church. She has an immense passion for black history and is always seeking to learn and educate others on everything there is to know about the rich and nuanced history of blacks in America. In 2020, Dominique plans to begin a masterโ€™s degree program in communication to further build on her bachelorโ€™s degree.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

McIndoe, D. (2020, April 27). Ronnie Spector (1943- ). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ronnie-spector-1943/

Source of the Author's Information:

โ€œRonnie Spector Biography,โ€ย Ronnie Spector, https://www.ronniespector.com/bio; Rob Bowman, โ€œThe Ronettes,โ€ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 2007, https://www.rockhall.com/sites/default/files/2019-11/The%20Ronettes_2007.pdf; “Spector, Ronnie,”ย Encyclopedia.com, https://www.encyclopedia.com/.

Further Reading