A Career Ruined
Ronnie Spector was one of the most original and influential voices of the early rock and roll era. But after her disastrous decision to marry her producer Phil Spector, her life and career would never be the same.
1. Her Name Was Veronica
Veronica Yvette Bennett was born August 10, 1943 in East Harlem, New York City to parents Beatrice, an African-American, and Louis, an Irishman who worked on the New York subway system. Growing up in the Washington Heights area of New York, Ronnie was exposed to a kaleidoscope of cultural influences early on, but nothing was more important to her than music.
Publicity headshot general use, Wikimedia Commons
2. She Started Young
Ronnie and her older sister Estelle sang and danced for the family, joined by cousins Nedra and Elaine. By the age of eight, Ronnie was working out whole numbers for the girls to perform while on visits to their grandma’s house. It was the start of Ronnie’s lifelong love of the stage, a love that ultimately took her through many unexpected twists and turns....
GAC-General Artists Corporation-management, Wikimedia Commons
3. She Didn’t Fit In
With mixed-race parents at a time when such families were still relatively rare, Ronnie found it tough to gain complete acceptance from either the Black or Latino kids around her, even though she wasn’t entirely white. She spent a lot of her free time with family and music. Then she discovered a star who lived just a stone’s throw away.
Apple Records, Wikimedia Commons
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4. She Had A Teen Idol
Ronnie couldn’t get enough of teen pop star Frankie Lymon, singing her favorite Lymon hits while her cousins sang back-up. And as it turned out, Lymon lived only a few blocks away from the Bennetts, and showed up at the diner where Mrs Bennett worked one day. As such, Lymon was invited to Ronnie’s 13th birthday party; but he never showed.
Despite that disappointment, Ronnie kept on singing his songs, looking to a musical future of her own.
Distributed by Associated Booking Corp., Wikimedia Commons
5. She Formed The Ronettes
Ronnie was 14 in 1957 when she formed her first group with her sister Estelle and cousins Nedra, Diane, Elaine and Ira. They were already seasoned living room performers, but they were eager to try their stuff in a real venue. They only had eyes for one iconic place...
6. She Took Charge
The Apollo Theater in nearby Harlem was a fixture of jazz and blues. The Ronettes got a spot on the Apollo’s amateur open mic night, but the show got off to a rough start. Ira froze up as the band started into Frankie Lymon’s “Why Do Fools Fall In Love”. But luckily for Ronnie, it was a song she had sung thousands of times. So she grabbed the mic and sang enough to coax a round of applause. And with that, the Ronettes were off and running. But their routine needed some work.
7. She Put In Her Time
The Apollo show went alright, but Ronnie knew the group had to improve. Elaine, Ira, and Diane left the group. The three remaining members took singing lessons and performed at sock hops and bar mitzvahs. Along the way they were introduced to Stu Phillips, music producer at Colpix Records. Luckily for them, he liked what he heard and booked the group for an audition.
8. They Passed With Flying Colors
For the audition the women sang while Phillips played piano. And as it turned out, the singing lessons and consistent schedule of live performances paid off. Phillips loved them, and booked the trio for a recording session in June 1961 under a new, slightly questionable, name.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
9. She Had A Record Contract And Not Much Else
The group recorded four songs under the less-than-inspiring name Ronnie and the Relatives. The songs “I Want a Boy” and “I’m Gonna Quit While I’m Ahead” were released in early 1962 but failed to sell. But even though their songs weren’t climbing the charts Ronnie kept looking for other opportunities.
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10. They Looked Older
The Peppermint Lounge was one of the most happening clubs in New York back in 1961. The girls were underage, but their clothing, hair and makeup made them look years older than they were, causing the manager to mistake them for that night’s stage dancers. The three took it all in stride, dancing the twist for Joey Dee and the Starliters as Ronnie sang a few numbers as well. After that, the trio were booked as a regular act. Then they made another big decision.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
11. They Changed Their Name
Around this time the group decided their name, Ronnie and the Relatives, had to go. From then on they were known as the Ronettes. With their regular gig at the Peppermint Lounge they were also performing shows all over New York. The trio had a unique look as well.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
12. She Perfected The Look
As part of their developing stage act, Ronnie and her mates had teased their hair up into high beehives, put on heavy eye makeup in the style of Liz Taylor in her Cleopatra movie, and wore side split dresses. All three women turned heads everywhere they went, especially Ronnie. But it wasn’t just their classic look that attracted attention.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
13. She Went South And Her Career Went North
The Ronettes helped open a Miami branch of the Peppermint Lounge in late 1962. There they ran into New York radio DJ Murray Kaufman, aka “Murray the K”. Murray lamented to Ronnie that he couldn’t find a trio like the Ronettes in New York, when she replied “Are you crazy? We’re from New York!” He signed the three on the spot to play his regular shows at the Brooklyn Fox nightclub.
It seemed things were coming together, but other challenges loomed on the horizon.
en:Murray the K (real name Murray Kaufman), Wikimedia Commons
14. She Took The Next Step
The Ronettes jumped into their gig at the Brooklyn Fox as dancers, then as backup singers. By the end of 1962 they were performing regularly as the Ronettes, but their records still weren’t getting much attention. Tired of spinning their wheels, the group decided to reach out to a different studio. Ronnie’s sister Estelle knew exactly who to call, but would they get a chance?
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
15. She Got Through
The Ronettes put a direct call through to Phil Spector, the whiz kid LA music producer who’d been cranking out a stream of pop hits for the past few years. Impressed by their brazen cold call, Spector met the girls in New York, and admitted he’d been to their shows at the Fox in Brooklyn. They set up an audition. It was the start of studio magic!
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
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16. She Was What He Was Looking For
The audition didn’t get very far before Phil Spector leapt up shouting, “This is the voice I’ve been looking for!” He demanded the Ronettes ditch their contract with Colpix and sign with his own Philles label.
But before they could celebrate too much, he threw them a curveball: he wanted Ronnie Bennett to sign with him as a solo act.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
17. Her Mom Put Her Foot Down
When Beatrice Bennett heard that Spector only wanted to sign Ronnie, she drew the line. The three would sign as the Ronettes or no deal. Spector relented, signing the three in March 1963. They’d been released from their Colpix contract. Now Ronnie just needed something to sing.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
18. She Had A Hit
After recording a few songs that went unreleased, the Ronettes recorded “Be My Baby”. It was on this song that Ronnie’s vocals were finally able to shine. The group’s singing and the production by Spector and his arranger Jack Nitszche made “Be My Baby” a huge hit all through the fall of 1963, peaking at number 2 on the US charts. It changed everything.
Screenshot from The Ronettes – Be My Baby, Philles Records (1963)
19. They Were In Demand
With the success of their hit single, the Ronettes were offered a spot on Dick Clark’s yearly cross-country rock-and-roll live tour, “Caravan of Stars” as one of the headliners. But again, Spector had other plans for Ronnie, as he wanted her to stay back at his studio and record a follow-up single to “Be My Baby”. Ronnie’s cousin Elaine took her place for the tour instead as Ronnie went back to record with Spector.
ABC Television, Wikimedia Commons
20. She Was On Her Own
Ronnie sang the new single, “Baby I Love You” with vocal support from Cher and Sonny Bono, with Leon Russell on piano. Spector drove the performers hard, exerting absolute control over every aspect of the production. Spector wielded a strong hand in the studio and dictated the Ronettes’ every move from then on.
Casablanca Records, Wikimedia Commons
21. She Cast A Spell On Him
The fact is that Spector had kept Ronnie from the Dick Clark tour because of his own infatuation with her. Already he was becoming possessive of Ronnie, and he kept her busy that fall recording a Christmas album to capitalize on the Ronettes’ ride atop the airwaves. But even Spector couldn’t hold Ronnie back from her greatest opportunity yet.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
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22. She Went Overseas
The Ronettes travelled to the UK for a tour of England as headliners. Their opening act was the Rolling Stones, doing their second tour of England. The Ronettes’ voices, look, and dance moves were an instant hit in England just as much as in the States. And it was there on tour through the foggy motorways of an English winter that Ronnie made a new friend.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
23. She Made A Lifelong Friend
Ronnie enjoyed touring with the Rolling Stones, especially guitarist Keith Richards. The feeling was mutual. While there were far too many people around, including Ronnie’s mother, for things between the two to get very far, it was the start of a friendship that would span decades. But the Stones weren’t the only fellow musicians to fall for the look and voice of Ronnie Spector.
Machocarioca, Wikimedia Commons
24. She Inspired A New Song
The Ronettes’ signature hit “Be My Baby” had left the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson thunderstruck. He listened to the song thousands of times, and wrote a song for the Ronettes to sing. But Spector refused to record it and the song “Don’t Worry Baby” became a Beach Boys standard instead. The Ronettes could still pick and choose what songs they sang, but their early success was proving to be tough to duplicate.
Capitol records, Wikimedia Commons
25. She Had A Tough Act To Follow
The Ronettes were still recording singles sporadically but by 1966 Phil Spector was producing all kinds of records for other acts, and the Ronettes were no longer at the top of his list of priorities. For him, the Ronettes had always been about Ronnie anyway; and by then, she and Spector had become a couple. But a new opportunity appeared that was sure to turn things around for Ronnie.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
26. He Told Her No
In that same year, The Beatles toured the US with the Ronettes signed on as an opening act. But one thing stood int their way: Phil Spector. As big a deal as he was in music at that time, the Beatles were far more famous and influential than he was. He didn’t want Ronnie going anywhere near the English rockers. As with Dick Clark’s tour in 1963, Elaine Bennett took Ronnie’s place on the Beatles tour. What should’ve been a great turnaround for Ronnie’s career was an opportunity lost.
It seemed just the beginning of the end.
27. She Lost All Control
The Ronettes broke up in 1967 after Phil Spector closed his record label. The other two members of the group were tired of dealing with Spector and went back to New York. Not Ronnie, though. She stuck with him. Ronnie and Phil got married the following year. And however badly things had gone in the past, they were about to get a whole lot worse for Ronnie.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
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28. She Had Second Thoughts
The marriage didn’t get off to a good start. The evening of their wedding day, an intoxicated Phil Spector started raving that Ronnie had only married him for his money. Bellowing with rage, he chased Ronnie around the house as she finally locked herself in a bathroom with her mother to get away from him. The blowup was only the start of a marriage that would become a living hell for Ronnie.
29. He Took Drastic Measures
Phil Spector had bars installed on the windows of their home, and had a barbed wire fence put up around the property. Spector wasn’t so much worried about break-ins as he was dead set on keeping Ronnie Spector under his nose at all times. But the nightmare was far from over; it was just getting started.
30. She Was A Prisoner In Her Own Home
Phil Spector had always been controlling of Ronnie, and now that the two were married, he monitored her every move. He forbade her to leave their house, even dictating where she could go inside the house as well. Spector eventually relented a bit, but then things got even more bizarre.
31. He Was With Her Everywhere She Went
Phil Spector allowed Ronnie to drive into town on her own but he forced her to keep a life-size dummy of himself next to her in the passenger seat. The dummy even had a cigarette sticking out of its mouth for maximum realism! In those circumstances, it may have been easier for Ronnie to just stay home in the creepy LA mansion. But the weirdness was just shifting into high gear.
32. She Adopted A Son
The couple adopted a son, Donte Phillip, and Ronnie had the responsibility of being a mom for the youngster while also coping with Phil Spector’s increasingly erratic behavior. But Phil Spector then did something even weirder.
33. He Gave Her An Unexpected Gift
Ronnie woke up one Christmas morning to see Phil Spector with two twin boys she’d never met before. Phil had adopted the pair of five-year-olds, Louis and Gary, as a Christmas gift for Ronnie. He hadn’t mentioned anything about it to her as he’d wanted to surprise her. He’d certainly succeeded in that respect, but the surprises didn’t end there.
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34. She Found An Escape
As her career and her freedom slipped away, Ronnie started to drink. Given the terrible circumstances, it was hardly surprising. It got to the point where she thought she might be an alcoholic. She eventually convinced Phil Spector to let her leave the house so she could attend AA meetings. But even that small respite couldn't truly help her.
35. He Sent Her A Terrifying Threat
Phil Spector had got into the worrisome habit of brandishing guns around. He told Ronnie he had a gold coffin in the basement of their house, and Ronnie would wind up inside it if she ever tried to get away from him. He said the coffin even had a glass lid so he could keep an eye on Ronnie after she was dead. She knew then she had to get out, even if it killed her.
Screenshot from Ronnie Spector Death: Singer Said Husband Phil Was Abusive, Associated Press (2022)
36. She Made A Run For It
The gold coffin was the last straw. In the middle of the night, with her mother beside her, Ronnie made a run for it. She was barefoot as Phil Spector had locked up all her shoes. That was the least of her worries as she fled the house that was like a maximum-security penitentiary, but she wasn’t totally free just yet.
37. She Got The Message
Ronnie got a final alimony settlement from Phil Spector of $2,500 a month for five years. But Phil Spector was far from finished messing with Ronnie. For the first payment, he ordered a Brinks truck to drop off the first monthly payment at her lawyer’s office. It was all in nickels. But the real problem was more far-reaching.
Screenshot from RONNIE SPECTOR – Recording with Phil Spector, Philles Records (1963)
38. She Paid A High Price
Ronnie Spector had won a hefty settlement from Spector, but it came at a cost: she agreed to forfeit any claim to royalties for the Ronettes’ music. It was all now under copyright to Phil Spector, and he was far from letting bygones be bygones. He continued to sabotage Ronnie’s music career, and his methods were terrifying.
Richard E. Aaron, Getty Images
39. She Got A Sinister Phone Call
Booked to sing at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, Ronnie got a call from a menacing Phil Spector. He told Ronnie over the phone that he had hired six hit men to kill her onstage at the Flamingo. The one who fired the fatal shot into Ronnie’s body was guaranteed a million-dollar bonus from the deranged producer. It was too much for Ronnie; she never took the stage that night.
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40. She Kept His Name
Ronnie was back to being Ronnie Bennett, but she held on to the Spector name as a stage name. If it helped her name recognition, so much the better. She needed every advantage she could get as she tried to revive her career after years of little to no activity.
41. She Found Everything Had Changed
By the mid 70s, the music industry had totally changed. The hits Ronnie had recorded as a member of the Ronettes had already become part of “oldies” AM radio station programs, and a whole variety of different artists and styles of music were now popular. The newly reformed Ronettes were going nowhere. But she also discovered that a lot of people were still listening to those old songs!
42. They Never Forgot Her
Many of the 70s’ most successful musicians had grown up listening to the Ronettes in the 60s. Bruce Springsteen brought Ronnie in to perform at a 1976 concert. Billy Joel wrote a song for Ronnie, “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”. Ronnie also recorded an album of punk cover songs, Siren. But more success of the kind she’d enjoyed in the 60s eluded her. There was also still fallout going on from the disastrous marriage with Spector.
Carl Lender, Wikimedia Commons
43. She Left Them Behind
While Ronnie had left Phil Spector behind, she’d also left behind the three children they’d adopted. She was free, but they were still stuck with the abusive Spector. While Ronnie claimed to be broken-hearted that Donte Spector turned his back on her, it was really Ronnie that left these boys to their own devices. But she’d already moved on and started a new family of her own.
44. She Had A Normal Family Life
In 1983, Ronnie married her manager, Jonathan Greenfield, and the couple had two kids. Ronnie had finally settled down to a regular life. Now a busy mom and housewife, Ronnie didn’t have time for music in those days. But it was in the midst of this new domestic life that Ronnie got a call about a new project.
45. She Made A Comeback
Eddie Money called Ronnie out of the blue to tell her he was recording a new song that was inspired by “Be My Baby”, and he wanted her to sing with him. Money had fallen on hard times and needed all the help he could get. He convinced Ronnie to record with him and the hit “Take Me Home Tonight” eventually went to number 4 on the American Billboard chart. As great as the news was for Ronnie, she also had some unfinished business to settle.
Screenshot from Take Me Home Tonight, Columbia Records (1986)
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46.She Won In Court
The terms of the divorce settlement meant that Phil Spector continued to milk the Ronettes’ success all for himself. Ronnie and the other two Ronettes hadn’t received a dime in royalties for the use of “Be My Baby” in the hit movie Dirty Dancing (1987), to take a famous example. After a decade-long legal campaign, the Ronettes won a $3 million settlement in 1998, a decision that was upheld on appeal in 2001. And more overdue recognition was on the way.
Screenshot from Dirty Dancing, Vestron Pictures (1987)
47. She Had A Bittersweet Reunion
The Ronettes were finally back together for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Keith Richards gave a brief induction speech that left no doubt he’d never forgotten the old days with Ronnie. The Ronettes performed “Be My Baby” together for the first time in years. But Ronnie’s sister Estelle was too overcome by stage fright to perform. She’d travelled an even harder road than Ronnie to get there.
48. She Lost A Ronette
Estelle Bennett had left the Ronettes way back in 1967, and had her share of hardships since, including poor health and a period of homelessness. The 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert was her first public appearance in decades. Sadly, she passed from cancer two years later. Ronnie was heartbroken even as she looked to the past with fondness and acceptance.
49. She Was Generous To Him
Phil Spector passed from coronavirus complications in 2021 while serving a prison sentence for his 2003 slaying of actress Lana Clarkson. Ronnie released a statement that surprised many with its praise for Spector’s brilliance and the love she had for him back in the day. But Ronnie herself didn’t have much time left.
50. Her Voice Lives On
The world was saddened to learn the news of Ronnie Spector’s passing on January 12, 2022. She followed her dreams along the hard road to the top of rock and roll, and had more than her fair share of potholes, speed bumps and wrong turns along the way. But there was no doubt of her influence on music as one of the 60s greatest voices, one that no “wall of sound” could contain.
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