TMS Muse of the Week: Ronnie Spector

(Winston Vargas)

Just like how everyone knows Anna Mae Bullock by her much more renowned one-time married name of Tina Turner, no one refers to Veronica Bennett as much as they do by her previous married moniker Ronnie Spector. And just like Tina, Ronnie had to fight for her public image to not be completely controlled and taken advantage of by her Svengali-esque, unstable ex-husband [record producer and later convicted murderer Phil Spector]. One of the most recognizable voices in popular music, Ronnie was the frontwoman for the groundbreaking and influential pop girl group the Ronettes, titled after her first name and also consisting of Ronnie’s sister Estelle and their cousin Nedra Talley. What’s fascinating about the Ronettes is that their success and legacy are based on only two total records including one, full-length LP; similar to, amusingly enough, the Sex Pistols. 1963 was the year of the Ronettes and the height of their tenure. Various records politics, and especially Phil’s obsessive perfectionism to control all his artists, prevented the Ronettes from any sort of longevity like their rivals, the Supremes over at Motown. But those who were paying attention to Ronnie and co. from that short period in 1963-65, knew there was something special.

This is the same pop group who stopped Beach Boy Brian Wilson in his tracks when he heard their hit single ‘Be My Baby’ for the first time on his car radio that summer of 1963. To this day, Brian claims he’s listened to ‘Be My Baby’ every single day and that there is no better pop song to exist. Evidently, he wrote his own group’s ‘Don’t Worry, Baby’ (1964) in response to the previous tune. ‘Be My Baby’ then became part of film history when it played over the opening credits of Martin Scorsese’s gangster classic Mean Streets (1973) a decade later. The arrangement on the Ronettes version of Leroy Anderson’s ‘Sleigh Ride’ [“ring-a-ling-a-ling, ding-dong-ding”] off the 1963 holiday LP ‘A Christmas Gift for You from Phillies Records’ [later re-titled ‘From Phil Spector’] has been borrowed multiple times; including the Spice Girls recording of ‘Sleigh Ride’ in 1996 and KT Tunstall’s cover on her 2007 holiday EP ‘Sounds of the Season.’ Naturally as a fan, Marty featured the Ronettes version of Gene Autry’s ‘Frosty the Snowman’ during the Christmas party scene of GoodFellas (1990). Other singles like ‘Baby, I Love You,’ ‘Do I Love You?,’ ‘(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up’ and ‘Walking in the Rain’ from their sole album, ‘Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes’ from 1964 rose on the charts, helped sell concert tickets and appeared on film soundtracks as well. Over the years, music stars ranging from Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel to Amy Winehouse and the Raveonettes have cited the Ronettes and Ronnie herself as favorites.

(Ray Avery)

With all this in mind, it does seem strange how the pop act’s relevancy was limited to only two years. And, unfortunately, all the reasons lead back to one person: Phil. Fairly into the Ronettes signing onto Phillies, the studio wizard made it clear the group were his favorite act at his label, and the quickly developed romance between Ronnie and Phil made it even more obvious. But what the Ronettes and most artists signed at Phillies discovered was that with fame and glamour, came a cost. For the Ronettes, it began with dwindling singles barely hitting the charts once hard rock became popular by 1967, and Phil being picky and stingy with which songs he wanted to release. Though one of their last singles, ‘I Can Hear Music’ in 1966, later became a fan favorite, general listeners didn’t really notice the song until the Beach Boys covered it in 1969. Along with Phil irrationally shelving many outtakes with plenty of potential and his habit of sometimes secretly giving songs to other artists, the Ronettes officially disbanded in 1967 because of Phil losing focus on the group and Nedra ultimately deciding she didn’t like being famous.

Things only declined for Ronnie when the Ronettes parted ways and she married Phil in 1968. Already showing signs of possessiveness early in their courtship, Phil insisted Ronnie sit out of the group’s tour with the Beatles in August 1966 and was replaced by her another cousin [Elaine Mayes] for the concerts. Ronnie’s solo career was DOA, with the singer only recording two songs with Phil during their marriage, including ‘Try Some, Buy Some’ written by George Harrison in 1971. The popstar was more of a captive than a wife as Phil pushed her to never leave the house without him and psychological tormented her with threats while waving one of his infamous guns. By 1974, Ronnie was successfully free of her abuser and attempted to revamp her music career. There were attempts at reviving the Ronettes with new bandmates and officially breaking through her solo efforts in the late 1970s, but the results were underwhelming. In 1982, Ronnie married her former manager Jonathan Greenfield and became mother to their two sons, Jason and Austin, completely abandoning showbusiness.

It wasn’t until she received an unexpected call from rockstar Eddie Money in 1986, who claimed he wrote the ultimate tribute to the Ronettes with his new song ‘Take Me Home Tonight.’ The song would be the biggest hit of Eddie’s career and a surprise comeback for Ronnie, who sang the chorus of ‘Be My Baby’ on the chorus of ‘Take Me Home’ [“Just like Ronnie sang”]. The smash hit inspired Ronnie to pick up her music career again with a whole new LP called ‘Unfinished Business’ a year later in 1987 and follow-up with more records including ‘She Talks to Rainbows’ (1999), ‘The Last of the Rock Stars’ (2006) and ‘English Heart’ (2016). In the midst of her comeback, the vocalist also penned the 1990 best-selling memoir Be My Baby: My Life as a Fabulous Ronette, which received an updated edition five months following Ronnie’s death in January 2022.

Some might see Ronnie’s story as wasted potential and a shame she got involved with the wrong man, even if he was a production genius. But I think the starlet is a good example of how a little can go a long way. You would have to be a legend to get various ‘greatest hits’ comps based on only two records; and even into the 1990s, Ronnie was still socializing and partying with A-listers. She’s an icon to both ‘60s and ‘80s kids and continues to fascinate pop and rock fans to this day as the original Bad Girl of Rock & Roll. Former puppy love beau Keith Richards called the head Ronette one of the best women he’s ever known and punk-rocker Joey Ramone co-produced ‘She Talks to Rainbows’ out of admiration for both Ronnie’s and Phil’s talents. The throaty, wobbly, unmistakable singing voice, the ad-libs, the bee-hive hairstyle, the smirks and winks, the tight dresses of Ronnie all perfectly matched up with Phil’s Wall of Sound productions. I’m not as fixated on ‘Be My Baby’ as Brian, but I can agree that it does feel fresh on each listen and is truly timeless, as are ‘Walking in the Rain,’ ‘Baby, I Love You’ and ‘Sleigh Ride.’ Ronnie is our baby forever.