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Revision as of 04:36, 25 September 2006 by Robertmark (talk | contribs) (→Career)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Ronnie Spector (born Veronica Yvette Bennett, 10 August, 1943, in New York City) was the lead singer of the girl group The Ronettes, and is known as the "original bad girl of rock and roll".
Career
From a very young age, she took to singing and her large, close family encouraged her to do so, along with the other members of the Ronettes.
The other members were her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley. They were a multiracial group, which was a bit unusual during the 1960s. The Bennetts' mother was black and Native American; their father was white. In her autobiography, Ronnie Spector said that she was not sure if she was black, or white, at one point in her childhood. From 1968 to 1973, she was married to record producer Phil Spector, who produced the Ronettes and brought them success.
In early 1971, during Phil Spector's tenure as head of A&R at Apple Records, Ronnie recorded the single "Try Some Buy Some"/"Tandoori Chicken"; released as Apple 33 in the UK, Apple 1832 in the U.S. The A side of the single was written by George Harrison, and produced by Harrison and Spector. Although the single was not a big hit, it had one lasting influence: when John Lennon recorded "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" later the same year, he asked Spector to reproduce the same mandolin-laden 'Wall of Sound' that he had created for "Try Some Buy Some". (Lennon liked the rockabilly B-side too, and is reported to have sung it at his birthday party in New York in October 1971.)
In 1986 Eddie Money had a big hit with "Take Me Home Tonight," on which Spector was featured prominently as a guest vocalist, singing part of the chorus of "Be My Baby." She also sang a duet with Southside Johnny on "You Mean So Much To Me Baby". Billy Joel's 1981 hit "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" is a tribute to Spector; Spector herself covered it, as did Bette Midler and other artists.
Her autobiography, Be My Baby, How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, was published in 1989, and became a bestseller, even being republished more recently.
In 1999 she released the critically acclaimed album She Talks to Rainbows which featured a few cover versions of older songs. Joey Ramone acted as producer, and appeared on stage with her to promote the record.
By Robert Altman
She now lives in Connecticut with her second husband Jonathan Greenfield and their two sons, Austin Drew and Jason Charles. She also hosts an annual Christmas party at BB King's bar and grill in New York.
Spector's most recent album Last of the Rock Stars (HighCoin Records) has been released. A new single, "All I Want," accompanies the album. Keith Richards and Patti Smith are among Spector's collaborators on the album. Spector herself has co-produced two of the songs.
Ronettes and solo album discography
- The Ronettes Featuring Veronica, 1965
- The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, 1965
- Siren, 1980
- The Ronettes Greatest Hits - Volume 1, 1981
- The Ronettes Greatest Hits - Volume 2, 1981
- Unfinished Business, 1987
- The Best of The Ronettes, 1992
- She Talks To Rainbows, 1999
- Last of the Rock Stars, 2006