Ronnie Spector
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Veronica Yvette Greenfield (, formerly Spector; August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022) was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group the Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
". Spector formed the singing group the Ronettes with her older sister, Estelle Bennett, and their cousin, Nedra Talley, in the late 1950s. They were signed to
Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...
's Philles label in 1963 and he produced the majority of their recording output. The Ronettes had a string of hits in the 1960s, including " Be My Baby" (1963), " Baby, I Love You" (1963), " (The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" (1964), " Do I Love You?" (1964), and " Walking in the Rain" (1964). Ronnie married Phil in 1968. Following the couple's divorce in 1974, Ronnie re-formed the Ronettes and began performing again. In 1980, Spector released her debut solo album ''Siren''. Her career revived when she was featured on
Eddie Money Edward Joseph Money ( Mahoney; March 21, 1949September 13, 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Paradise", " Think I'm in Love", " Shakin' ...
's song and video " Take Me Home Tonight" in 1986, a ''Billboard'' top five single. She went on to release the albums '' Unfinished Business'' (1987), ''Something's Gonna Happen'' (2003), ''Last of the Rock Stars'' (2006) and '' English Heart'' (2016). She also recorded one
extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
, '' She Talks to Rainbows'' (1999). In 1990, Ronnie Spector published a memoir, '' Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, Or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette''. She was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
as a member of the Ronettes in 2007. In 2023, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked Spector at number 70 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.


Early life

Spector was born Veronica Yvette Bennett in
East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the eas ...
, New York City, and grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. She was the daughter of Beatrice and Louis Bennett, a subway worker. Her mother was
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
and
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
, and her father was Irish. Veronica and her sister Estelle Bennett (1941–2009) were encouraged to sing by their large family, as was their cousin Nedra Talley (born 1946). The trio formed the Darling Sisters, known later as the Ronettes. They performed locally while attending George Washington High School in Washington Heights. Their look was fashioned by Estelle, who had a job at
Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...
on the cosmetics counter. They sang at school events, and had a residency at the Peppermint Lounge, a nightspot in Manhattan, the birthplace of the Twist and
go-go dancing Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo, located in the town of Juan-les-Pins. The bar's n ...
.


Career


1963–1969: The Ronettes and early success

The Ronettes became a popular live attraction around the greater New York area in the early 1960s. Looking for a recording contract, they initially were signed to Colpix Records and produced by Stu Phillips. After releasing a few singles on Colpix without success, they tracked down record producer
Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...
, who signed them to his label
Philles Records Philles Records was an American record label formed in 1961 by Phil Spector and Lester Sill, the label taking its name from a hybrid of their first names. Initially, the label was distributed by Jamie/Guyden in Philadelphia. In 1962, Spector p ...
in 1963. Their relationship with Spector brought chart success with their biggest hit " Be My Baby" in 1963, which peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. A string of top 40 pop hits followed with " Baby, I Love You" (1963), " (The Best Part of) Breakin' Up" (1964), "Do I Love You?" (1964), and " Walking in the Rain" (1964). The group had two entries on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1965 with "Born to Be Together" and " Is This What I Get for Loving You?". In 1965, the Ronettes were voted the third-top singing group in England behind
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
and
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
. They opened for the Beatles on their 1966 US tour without their lead singer. Phil had forbidden Bennett to tour with the Beatles, so her cousin Elaine stood in as a third member. The group's last charting single, "
I Can Hear Music "I Can Hear Music" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector for American girl group the Ronettes (credited as ''The Ronettes Featuring Veronica'') in 1966. This version spent one week on the ''Billboard'' Pop chart a ...
", was produced by
Jeff Barry Jeff Barry (born Joel Adelberg; April 3, 1938) is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are " Tell Laura I Love Her" (written with Ben Raleigh and a ...
and reached No. 100 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1966. The Ronettes broke up in early 1967, following a European concert tour. After Bennett married Phil in 1968, she began to use the name Ronnie Spector, but she withdrew from the spotlight because Phil prohibited her from performing and limited her recordings. In 1969, Phil signed a production deal with
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
and he released her record "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered", credited as "The Ronettes Featuring the Voice of Veronica", with "Oh I Love You", an old Ronettes
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
, as the flip. Her vocals were used for the lead and backing vocals. Phil kept many of the group's unreleased songs in a vault for years.


1970–1982: Solo career and ''Siren''

In February 1971, Ronnie Spector recorded the song " Try Some, Buy Some/Tandoori Chicken" at
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
during Phil's work with
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
. Written by Harrison, and produced by both Harrison and Phil, her debut solo single was released on
Apple Records Apple Records is a British record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists inclu ...
in April 1971. It peaked at No. 77 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in May 1971. Although the single was not a big hit, its backing track was used two years later for Harrison's own version of the song, on his chart-topping '' Living in the Material World'' album. "Try Some, Buy Some" had another lasting influence when
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
recorded " Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" later the same year and asked Phil (co-producing again) to reproduce the mandolin-laden
Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
he had created for that single. Lennon liked the
rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...
B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
too; he sang it at his birthday party in New York City in October 1971 (a recording of which has appeared on bootlegs). Spector recorded other Harrison songs during those London sessions – including "
You In Modern English, the word "''you''" is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from ...
" and "When Every Song Is Sung" – but her versions were never released, even though a full album had been planned. After separating from Phil in 1972, she reformed the Ronettes (as Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes) with two new members (
Chip Fields Chip Fields is an American singer, actress, television director, and producer who has appeared in popular films, television series, and Broadway theatre. She is best known for portraying Linella Gordon, the abusive birth mother of Penny Gordo ...
Hurd, the mother of actress Kim Fields, and Diane Linton) in 1973. They released a few singles on
Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foundin ...
, but the records failed to chart. In 1973, Spector provided backing-vocals with
Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...
for
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
's song " Teenage Lament '74" from the album '' Muscle of Love'' (1973). By 1975, Spector was recording as a solo act. She released the single "You'd Be Good For Me" on Tom Cat Records in 1975. In 1976, she sang a
duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...
with Southside Johnny on the recording "You Mean So Much To Me", penned by Southside's longtime friend
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
. This was the final track on the Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes' debut album '' I Don't Want to Go Home''. She also made appearances with the E Street Band the following year, including a cover version of
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
's 1976 track " Say Goodbye to Hollywood". In her book, Spector recounted several abortive attempts to recapture mainstream success throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, during which time she was perceived as an
oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...
act. She recorded her first solo album in 1980, ''Siren'', produced by
Genya Ravan Genya Ravan (born Genyusha Zelkowitz; April 19, 1940), also known as Goldie, is an American rock music, rock singer and music producer. She was lead singer of the Escorts, Goldie and the Gingerbreads, and Ten Wheel Drive. Early life Genyusha Zel ...
.


1983–2002: "Take Me Home Tonight", ''Unfinished Business'', and return to music

In 1986, Ronnie Spector enjoyed a resurgence of popular radio airplay as the featured vocalist on
Eddie Money Edward Joseph Money ( Mahoney; March 21, 1949September 13, 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Paradise", " Think I'm in Love", " Shakin' ...
's Top 5 hit, " Take Me Home Tonight", in which she answers Money's chorus lyric, "just like Ronnie sang", with, "be my little baby". The song's music video was one of the top videos of the year and in heavy rotation on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
. During this period, she also recorded the song "Tonight You're Mine, Baby" (from the film ''
Just One of the Guys ''Just One of the Guys'' is a 1985 American teen comedy film directed by Lisa Gottlieb and co-written by Dennis Feldman and Jeff Franklin. It is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night''. The film stars Joyce Hyser, C ...
''). In 1988, she began performing at the Ronnie Spector's Christmas Party, a seasonal staple at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City. In 1999, she released the EP, '' She Talks to Rainbows'', which featured a few covers of older songs.
Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, with Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His ...
acted as producer. In 1988, she and the other members of the Ronettes sued Phil Spector for nonpayment of royalties and for unpaid income he made from licensing of Ronettes’ music. In 2001, a New York court announced a verdict in favor of the Ronettes, ordering him to pay $2.6 million in back royalties. The judgment was overturned by a Court of Appeals in 2002 and remanded back to the New York State Supreme Court. The judges found that their contract gave Phil unconditional rights to the recordings. It was ruled that Ronnie was entitled to her share of the royalties, which she had forfeited in her divorce settlement, but they reversed a lower court's ruling that the group were entitled to the music industry's standard 50 percent royalty rate. In the outcome, Phil paid in excess of $1 million to Ronnie Spector. In December 1998, having just signed to the
Creation Records Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...
label, she appeared on the BBC's '' Later... with Jools Holland''.


2003–2022: Collaborations and ''English Heart''

In 2003, Ronnie Spector provided backing vocals for The Misfits' album '' Project 1950'' on the songs "
This Magic Moment "This Magic Moment" is a song composed by lyricist Doc Pomus and pianist Mort Shuman. It was first recorded by The Drifters, with Ben E. King singing lead. Original Drifters version It was recorded first by Ben E. King and the Drifters, at ...
" and " You Belong to Me." In 2004, the Ronettes were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Spector provided guest vocals on the track "Ode to LA", on The Raveonettes' album '' Pretty in Black'' (2005). Her album, ''Last of the Rock Stars'' (2006), was released by High Coin and featured contributions from members of The Raconteurs, Nick Zinner of the
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compleme ...
, The Raveonettes,
Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...
, and
Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...
. Spector herself co-produced two of the songs. Despite objections from Phil Spector, who was awaiting trial for murder, the Ronettes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. A Christmas EP, ''Ronnie Spector's Best Christmas Ever'', was released on Bad Girl Sounds in November 2010, featuring five new Christmas songs. In 2011, after the death of
Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...
, Spector released her version of Winehouse's single "
Back to Black ''Back to Black'' is the second and final studio album by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. Winehouse predominantly based the album on her tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, ...
" (2006) as a tribute and for the benefit of the Daytop Village addiction treatment centers. She also performed this song as part of her live act, including in 2015 during a UK tour. She appeared on the 2014 New Year's Eve edition of the '' Jools' Annual Hootenanny''. In 2016, she released, through 429 Records, ''English Heart'', her first album of new material in a decade. The album features her versions of songs of the
British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when Rock music, rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of Culture of the United Kingdom, British culture became popular in the United States with sign ...
by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, the
Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...
, and others, produced by Scott Jacoby. ''English Heart'' peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Top Heatseekers chart. On August 9, 2017, ''
People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' premiered a new single, "Love Power" by Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes, produced by
Narada Michael Walden Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy. He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...
, making it the first Ronettes single in decades. In 2018, Spector appeared in the music documentary '' Amy Winehouse: Back to Black'' (2018), based on Winehouse and her final studio album ''
Back to Black ''Back to Black'' is the second and final studio album by English singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. Winehouse predominantly based the album on her tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil, ...
''. The album was inspired by 1960s girl groups Winehouse gathered inspiration from listening to, such as The Ronettes. It contained new interviews as well as archival footage. Spector was a great inspiration for Winehouse, who emulated her hair, as well as vocal style. In return, Ronnie Spector covered "Back to Black", the Winehouse's signature song. She recalls that Winehouse turned up at a concert looking just like her while she sang her song. Spector recalled seeing "a tear out of her (Winehouse) eye and it made me cry". In September 2020, '' Deadline'' reported that actress
Zendaya Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. List of awards and nominations received by Zendaya, Her accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award. I ...
would portray Spector in a biopic adapted from her memoir '' Be My Baby''. In December 2021, the Ronettes returned to the Top 10 for the first time in 58 years with their 1963 recording of " Sleigh Ride". Following her death in January 2022, the BBC broadcast the compilation tribute ''Ronnie Spector at the BBC''.


Autobiography

She released her memoir '' Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, Or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette'' in 1990; the book was later named by ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' contributor Rob Sheffield as one of the greatest rock biographies of all time. An updated version titled ''Be My Baby: A Memoir'' was completed in late 2021, just two months before Spector's death, and was released in May 2022.


Personal life and death

Ronnie and
Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...
began having an affair soon after she was signed to his label in 1963. Early in their relationship, she was unaware that he was married. Once, Ronnie was apprehended by house detectives for prostitution at the Delmonico Hotel in New York City after leaving a room they had booked. She was allowed to call Phil, who threatened the hotel, and then they allowed her to leave. After Phil divorced his wife in 1965, he purchased a home in
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...
, where he lived with Ronnie. They married at Beverly Hills City Hall on April 14, 1968. Ronnie changed her surname and became known as Ronnie Spector. Their son Donté Phillip was adopted in 1969. Two years later, Phil surprised her for Christmas with adopted twins, Louis and Gary. Ronnie alleged in her 1990 memoir that following their marriage, Phil subjected her to years of psychological torment and sabotaged her career by forbidding her to perform. She said he surrounded their house with barbed wire and guard dogs, and confiscated her shoes to prevent her from leaving; on the rare occasions he allowed her out alone, she had to drive with a life-size dummy of Phil. She stated that Phil installed a gold coffin with a glass top in the basement, promising that he would kill her and display her corpse if she ever left him. She began drinking and attending
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
(AA) meetings to escape the house. In 1972, Ronnie fled their mansion barefoot and without any belongings, with the help of her mother. "I knew that if I didn't leave I was going to die there," she said. In their 1974 divorce settlement, Ronnie forfeited all future record earnings, alleging that Phil had threatened to have a hit man kill her. She received $25,000, a used car, and monthly alimony of $2,500 for five years. She later testified that Phil had frequently pulled a gun on her during their marriage and threatened to kill her unless she surrendered custody of their children. She tried to rebuild her career, keeping Spector's surname professionally because "I needed any way I could to get back in, I'd been kept away so long." According to her, Phil hired lawyers to prevent her singing her popular songs and denied her royalties. In 1988, the Ronettes sued Phil for $10 million in damages, rescission of the contract, the return of the masters, and recoupment of money received from the sale of Ronettes masters. It took 10 years for the case to make it to trial. After a prolonged legal battle, the court ruled that their contract gave Phil unconditional rights to the recordings but Ronnie was entitled to her share of royalties. In 1983, she married her manager Jonathan Greenfield. They had two sons, and lived in
Danbury, Connecticut Danbury ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2020 was 86,518. It is the third-largest city in Western Connecticut, and the seventh-largest ...
. Spector died at her home in Danbury on January 12, 2022, shortly after a cancer diagnosis, at the age of 78.


Discography


The Ronettes

* '' Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica'', 1964 * ''Sing Their Greatest Hits'', 1975 * ''The Greatest Hits, Vol. 2'', 1981 * ''The Best of The Ronettes'', 1992


Solo albums


EPs

* '' She Talks to Rainbows'' EP, 1999 * ''Something's Gonna Happen'' EP, 2003 * ''Best Christmas Ever'' EP, 2010


Solo singles

* 1971: " Try Some, Buy Some" (Apple 1832) * 1975: "You'd Be Good For Me" (Tom Cat YB-10380) * 1976: "Paradise" (Warner Spector SPS 0409) * 1977: " Say Goodbye To Hollywood" (Epic 8–50374) * 1978: "It's a Heartache" (Alston 3738) * 1980: "Darlin'" (Polish PR-202) * 1987: "Who Can Sleep" (Columbia 38-07082) * 1987: "Love On a Rooftop" (Columbia 38-07300)


Publications

*


References


Citations


Works cited

*


Further reading

* *Connolly, M. Delmonico (2020)
''Ronnie Spector in Rock Gomorrah''.
Gold Line Press.


External links

* *
Last recording with Ronnie Spector. Billboard
* *
Ronnie Spector
at 45cat.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Spector, Ronnie 1943 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American memoirists 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers African-American memoirists African-American women memoirists African-American rock musicians African-American women singers American mezzo-sopranos American people who self-identify as being of Cherokee descent American people of Irish descent American rock singers American women memoirists American women record producers Apple Records artists Deaths from cancer in Connecticut Epic Records artists George Washington Educational Campus alumni Entertainers from Danbury, Connecticut People from East Harlem Musicians from Manhattan People from Washington Heights, Manhattan Phil Spector Singers from New York City The Ronettes members American women rock singers