Ronnie Spector was born Veronica Yvette Bennett in 1943 in Spanish Harlem. Per The Famous People, Spector was raised by her mother and steeped in a musical environment from a young age. Spector recruited her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Tally Ross to form the Darling Sisters, who later changed their name to the history-making Ronettes.
The Ronettes were a smash hit locally, and performed regularly at the Peppermint Lounge, as well the Apollo. There, as the Ronnie Spector website says, they caught the attention of DJ “Murray the K,” who hired them as dancers at the Brooklyn Fox Theater. They signed with Colpix Records in 1961 when they were still teenagers.
Spector not only worked with the Ronettes, but on solo projects with musical titans such as Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Money (the main hook from “Be My Baby” was written into “Take Me Home Tonight”), and more. Billy Joel wrote “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” (1976) in honor of Spector, who had gotten embroiled in an abusive relationship and marriage (1968-1972, per Rolling Stone) with music producer Phil Spector. In 2007, the Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As her website says, “Ronnie Spector is … the embodiment of the heart, soul, and passion of female rock and roll in the 1960s. And to this day, no one has ever surpassed Ronnie’s powerful trademark vocals, her gutsy attitude, or her innocent but knowing sexuality.”
