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THE
RONETTES (ARTIST BIOGRAPHY)
The
Ronettes were a girl group of the 1960s from New York City, best
known for their work with producer Phil Spector. They consisted of
lead singer Veronica Bennett (a.k.a. Ronnie Spector), her sister
Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. Their defining album
is “Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica” from 1963,
and their most famous songs include “Be My Baby”, “Baby, I Love You”,
“(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up”, and “Walking in the Rain”.
The group’s career:
Sisters Estelle (born 1941) and Veronica Bennett (born 1943), and
their cousin Nedra Talley (born 1946), began singing together as
teenagers in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Encouraged by their
grandmother, they entered and won a talent show at the Apollo
Theatre in 1959, as The Darling Sisters. Phillip Halikus saw their
potential, became their manager, and promoted their early
appearances at hops and charity shows.
In 1961, while standing in line at the Peppermint Lounge, they were
mistaken for a singing trio that had not arrived and were ushered on
stage. After performing Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say”, they were
signed to appear regularly there and in Miami. Later that year, they
danced in shows staged by disc jockey Murray the K, but, contrary to
many sources, did not appear in the 1961 film Twist Around the Clock.
They did get a record deal with the Colpix label, and, as Ronnie &
The Relatives, released their first single “I Want a Boy”. They also
worked as backing singers for Bobby Rydell, Del Shannon, and Joey
Dee & The Starliters. Renamed as The Ronettes, they issued several
more singles with Colpix and recorded an album, unissued at the
time, but had little early commercial success.
In 1963 they came to the attention of producer Phil Spector, who was
looking for a new girl group to assume The Crystals’ mantle. He was
taken with Ronnie’s voice and style, and signed The Ronettes to his
Philles label. As Spector’s new protégées, they were given a strong
image as “bad girls”, with beehive hairdos, heavy eyeliner, and
tight skirts. Their first Philles single was “Be My Baby”,
co-written by Spector with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, and
arranged and produced by Spector. It became a worldwide hit,
reaching # 2 on the U.S. pop chart, # 4 on the R&B chart, and # 4 on
the UK chart. The follow-up, “Baby, I Love You”, had an even denser
arrangement, featuring Leon Russell on piano, and backing vocals
from Darlene Love and Cher, among others. It was slightly less
successful, reaching # 24 in the United States and # 11 in the
United Kingdom. The Ronettes also featured on Spector’s album “A
Christmas Gift for You”.
Early in 1964 The Ronettes toured England with The Rolling Stones
and met The Beatles. They continued to have hits with “(The Best
Part Of) Breakin’ Up” (# 39 U.S., # 43 UK), “Do I Love You?” (# 34
U.S., # 35 UK), and “Walking in the Rain” (# 24 U.S.), which won a
Grammy for Best Sound Effects, the only one Spector ever received.
However, their LP, “Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring
Veronica”, only reached # 96 and other singles were less successful;
musical tastes had moved beyond the girl group sound, and the
Ronettes were unable to maintain their relevance. After
criss-crossing the United States and Canada as one of the opening
acts for the final concert tour of The Beatles, they disbanded at
the end of 1966.
Later events:
Estelle Bennett and Nedra Talley each married and, in 1968, Ronnie
Bennett married Phil Spector and retired from performance for
several years. In 1971, under Spector’s direction, Ronnie recorded
“Try Some, Buy Some” for the Beatles’ Apple label. This was her last
charting record, reaching # 77 in the spring of 1971.
In 1973, as she and Spector were about to divorce, she returned to
performing at Richard Nader’s “Rock and Roll Revival” show at
Madison Square Garden. Her new version of The Ronettes at that time
included Denise Edwards and Chip Fields, and they issued two singles
on the Buddah label.
In 1988, the original Ronettes sued Spector for nonpayment of
royalties. In 2001, a New York court announced a verdict in favor of
the Ronettes, ordering Spector to pay nearly three million dollars
in back royalties; however, the judgment was later overturned on
appeal. On February 11, 2009 Estelle Bennett was found dead at her
home in Englewood, New Jersey. She was 67.
Awards and recognition:
The Ronettes were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in
2004.
It was believed that Phil Spector, in his capacity as a member of
the Board of Governors, deliberately prevented the Ronettes (and
Darlene Love) from being nominated for induction into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame, although they had been eligible for a
considerable period. The alleged reasons included the acrimonious
divorce of Ronnie and Spector, in addition to the group having (unsuccessfully)
sued Spector for back royalties. While Spector was awaiting trial on
a murder charge and out on $1 million bail, the Ronettes were
finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the March
12, 2007, induction ceremony held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in
New York City. Keith Richards, a self-confessed longtime fan,
inducted the trio. Ronnie Bennett (Spector) and Nedra Talley
performed “Baby, I Love You,” “Walking In the Rain” and “Be My
Baby.” Estelle Bennett was present to accept her award but did not
perform. |
