The Ronettes

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The Ronettes
Origin New York, New York, United States
Genre(s) Rock and roll, pop
Years active 1959 – 1966
Label(s) Colpix Records
Philles Records
Associated acts Ronnie Spector
Phil Spector
Former members
Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett
Estelle Bennett
Nedra Talley

The Ronettes were a 1960s girl group 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, the late Estelle Bennett; and their cousin Nedra Talley. Their defining album is Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica from 1964, and their most famous songs include "Be My Baby," "Baby, I Love You," "(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up", and "(Walking) In the Rain."[1]

Contents

[edit] The group's career

Sisters Estelle (1941-2009) and Veronica Bennett (born 1943), and their cousin Nedra Talley (born 1947), 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.[1]

In 1961, while waiting 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, they released their first single "I Want a Boy." They also worked as backing singers for Bobby Rydell, Del Shannon, and Joey Dee. Renamed The Ronettes, they issued several more singles with Colpix and recorded an album, unissued at the time, but had little early commercial success. [1][2]

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.[1][2] 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 Breaking Up" (#39 U.S., #43 UK), "Do I Love You?" (#34 U.S., #35 UK), and "(Walking) In the Rain" (#23 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.[1][2]

[edit] 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. It became a minor hit, reaching #77 in the spring of 1971.[1]

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 the group issued two singles on the Buddha label. Ronnie would later record and perform as a solo act, scoring a Top 10 hit with Eddie Money in 1986, "Take Me Home Tonight".

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.[1]

[edit] 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 a March 12, 2007, 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.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Year Title Chart Positions
U.S. Hot 100 UK Singles Chart[3]
1961 "My Darling Angel" (May 111) - -
1961 "I Want a Boy" (Colpix 601) - -
1962 "Silhouettes" (1961) (May 114) - -
1962 "I'm Gonna Quit While I'm Ahead" (1961) (Colpix 646) - -
1962 "The Memory" (1961) (May 138) - -
1963 "Be My Baby" (Philles 116) 2 4
1963 "Baby I Love You" (Philles 118) 24 11
1964 "(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up" (Philles 120) 39 43
1964 "Do I Love You?" (Philles 121) 34 35
1964 "(Walking) In The Rain" (Philles 123) 23 -
1965 "Born To Be Together" (Philles 126) 52 -
1965 "Is This What I Get For Loving You?" (Philles 128) 75 -
1965 "He Did It" (1961) (Dimension 1046) - -
1966 "I Can Hear Music" (Philles 133) 100 -
1969 "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered!" (A&M 1040) - -
1973 "Go Out and Get It" (Buddha 384) - -
1974 "I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine" (Buddha 408) - -
1976 "Paradise" (Warner/Spector 409) - -

[edit] Albums

[edit] Compilations

  • 1963 Today's Hits Phillies
  • 1965 The Ronettes: The Early Years Rhino
  • 1967 Cha Cha Cha Roper
  • 1975 Sing Their Greatest Hits Phil Spector
  • 1981 The Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Masters
  • 1990 Greatest Hits Spectacular Sound
  • 1992 Best of the Ronettes EMI
  • 1992 The Best of the Ronettes ABKCO
  • 2005 Ronettes Featuring Veronica EMI Gold
  • 2005 Silhouettes Collectables
  • The Complete Colpix & Buddha Sessions Sequel

[edit] Pop references

  • Ronnie Spector accompanied Eddie Money on the 1986 hit song "Take Me Home Tonight". She sang the title line from "Be My Baby" and is also name-checked in the song's lyrics.
  • Austin, Texas pop band The Sour Notes have been known to cover The Ronettes' song 'When I Saw You' during live performance and cite them as a major influence.
  • In an interview, the Danish band The Raveonettes stated that their name is "a complete direct reference to The Ronettes and Buddy Holly Rave On!."[4] They invited Ronnie Spector to sing with them on their third album Pretty in Black, on a song named Ode to L.A..
  • In the anime TV series, Monster; the character "The baby" is an adept fan of "Be my baby".

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g The Ronettes
  2. ^ a b c allmusic ((( The Ronettes > Biography )))
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 469. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  4. ^ Interview with The Raveonettes, David Shankbone, Wikinews, October 16, 2007
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List of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
2007
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