The 500 - #422 The Ronettes - Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 422

Album Title: Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica 
Artist: The Ronettes
Genre: Pop, Rhythm & Blues (R&B)
Recorded: 1963-1964 - Gold Star Studios, Hollywood
Released: November, 1964
My age at release: Not born yet
How familiar was I with it before this week: A little
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Be My Baby

Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica is the only studio album by the 60s girl group, The Ronettes. The trio, from Washington Heights, Manhattan, consisted of Veronica Bennett, her older sister Estelle and their cousin Nedra Talley. Originally named The Darling Sisters, they had sung together since their early teens. In 1963, they signed with Phil Spector's label, Philly Records, and changed their name. Initially, Spector was only interested in signing Veronica. However, her mother insisted that they be signed as a group. Spector relented, but the words "featuring Veronica" were added to the album and she was front and centre on the record cover.  

The Ronettes exploded onto the music scene in the summer of 1963 with the single Be My Baby. It was a smash hit. In the 2004 edition of Rolling Stone magazine it was ranked at #22 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The magazine described it as a "Rosetta Stone" for studio pioneers such as The Beatles and Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. In fact, Wilson declared it "the greatest pop song ever made." 

Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Song Edition

The next 18 months would be a whirlwind for the group, with three additional hit songs  (all of which appear on this record), plus television appearances and a massive tour of the U.K.  However, by February, 1965, their popularity was declining and even a 14-city North American tour opening for The Beatles could not energize sales for their final single, I Can Hear Music -- a song that barely made it on the Billboard Top 100, and only for a single week. The group officially disbanded in early 1967 after a brief tour of Germany.

The Ronettes (Promotional Picture, 1966)

However, throughout the group's meteoric rise to success and their eventual break-up, there was another darker story being written. It was the story  of Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett who started a relationship with Spector shortly after the group signed with his record label. 

Spector in studio with The Ronettes

There is entirely too much detail to cover in this post but, Phil was intensely possessive of Veronica and, as her manager, controlled every choice in her young world. In fact, he forced her to remain in his home in California during The Ronettes' tour with The Beatles, using her cousin Elaine as a replacement. In other words, in two short years Spector had migrated from only wanting to sign Veronica...to featuring her prominently as the lead member of the group...to preventing her from touring. There are rumours that this was due to a relationship she had with Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards during the earlier U.K. tour. Regardless, Spector was intent on keeping Veronica close to home and under his watchful eye. Later that year, shortly after the band broke-up, Spector and Bennett married.

According to many accounts, Veronica, now Ronnie Spector, was kept a virtual prisoner in their mansion. It is said that Phil removed her footwear from the premises to prevent her from leaving. In 1969, they adopted a child. According to her memoir, Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts and Madness, being a mother brought her joy and, for a time, a meaningful purpose in her life. Emboldened, I suppose, Phil surprised her with adopted twins as a Christmas gift. A few months later, she fled barefoot to her mother who was waiting for her at a pre-arranged location. In her memoirs, she stated: "I knew if I didn't leave, I was going to die there". 

She and Spector divorced in 1972 and in the final settlement she forfeited all future record earnings because she feared her ex-husband would hire a hit man to kill her. She received $25,000, a used car and a monthly alimony of $2,500 for five years. Rumour has it that Phil once had the alimony payment delivered in dimes.

Her fears were certainly credible. Phil was known for brandishing a pistol and even installed a gold coffin with a glass lid in the basement of their home, promising that he would "kill her and display her corpse if she ever left him". Given that Spector was found guilty of second degree murder in the death of actress Lana Clarkson in 2008, these threats seem frighteningly real.

Veronica and The Ronettes have been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and The Vocal Group Hall of Fame. She had a brief resurgence in 1986 when Eddie Money had the top five hit Take Me Home Tonight  which featured her on backing vocals. She occasionally performs today.

Eddie Money's 1986 single,
featuring Ronnie Spector on vocals

Ronnie currently lives in Connecticut with her second husband to whom she has been married since 1982. Spector is still, fittingly, serving a 19-year sentence in prison.

Next Up: The Best of The Girl Groups Volumes 1 & 2