Photo: MK Feeney, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Sad news in the world of rock and roll and popular music as the family of Ronnie Spector announced her passing just minutes ago on Wednesday January 12 2021. Her death was due to her fight with cancer. When it comes to legendary female voices in rock and roll history, Ronnie Spector was one of the greats. Born Veronica Bennett in New York City and hailing from East Harlem, New York, Ronnie Spector would start her career fronting the female group The Ronettes. Ronnie Spector formed the group with family including her older sister Estelle Bennett and her cousin Nedra Talley. The three girls would showcase the famous wall of sound that would be become extremely popular in music history. That wall of sound was created by producer Phil Spector. Eventually, Ronnie Bennett would become Ronnie Spector when she married producer Phil Spector in 1968. It would become a marriage filled with turmoil as Phil Spector’s dominating ways would eventually spell and end to the marriage in 1973.
The Ronettes would become an extremely popular girl group in the 1960s with an assortment of big radio hits. The group’s biggest hit single “Be My Baby,” would serve as one of the most inspirational songs of the 1960s. The combination of Phil Spector’s wall of sound, that legendary drum beat and most of all, the golden silk vocals of Ronnie Spector presented a hit single that has always been one of the most loved songs in classic rock history. Other big bit by The Ronettes included the songs “Walking in the Rain,” “The Best Part of Breakin’ Up” and the huge hit single “Baby, I Love You.”
Ronnie Spector would eventually leave the group and go on her own. Her solos career did not have as much success as her work with the Ronettes until 1986 when she teamed up with Eddie Money for the single “Take Me Home Tonight.” The song hit number one and the interest once again in the music of Ronnie Spector went through the roof. Ronnie Spector continued to release solo albums throughout her career with long stretches of time in between records. Her final solo album was released in 2016 entitled English Heart. Sh will forever remain rock and roll royalty
Ronnie Spector Of The Ronettes Passes Away At 78 article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2021
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