RONNIE SPECTOR:
As a youngster it was clear early on that Ronnie would hold a great place in the world with her striking exotic beauty and a voice that was so strong and powerful that no one could sing above her natural levels. Ronnie would often be the leader in gathering the other young members of her family in performances that would delight and entertain the rest of the relatives.
The Ronettes formed in the early 1960's and consisted of Ronnie, her sister Estelle Bennett (1941-2009) and cousin, Nedra Talley. They would play at the local New York City clubs, venues and particularly the Apollo Theater where as teenagers they gained recognition. Their popularity grew and led to their signing with Colpix Records with a release of "I Want a Boy"/"Whats So Sweet about Sweet Sixteen" quickly followed by "Im Gonna Quit While Im Ahead"/"My Guiding Light" but neither was successful. Their larger than life persona established them as a force in entertainment. They stuffed their bras, wore short skirts and layered on heavy make-up like mascara which would add to their look on stage. Colpix Records was not able to reproduce what the group did in the live performances.
Phil Spector was well know as the inventor of "Wall of Sound" a technique of overdubbing vocal/orchestral effect that became his trade mark throughout the 1960's which he used to produce artists such as: The Righteous Brothers, The Beatles and Tina Turner. A bold move was when the Ronettes attempted a call directly to Phil Spector at Mirasound Studios that was answered, grabbing his attention and a date for audition was set.
Phil began as sole manager and producer for the group writing the songs that would hold the attention of America for the next two years with hits like "I Wonder", "Baby I Love You", The Best Part of Breaking Up", "Walking in the Rain" & their smash "Be my Baby." They began traveling the world performing. they had opening acts like the future Rock 'N Roll Hall of Famers' The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Eventually with the roles reversed, the Ronettes would open up for the first big world tour of The Beatles which became a madhouse.
Signs of Phil's dark frightening personality was peppered throughout the early stages of his relationship with Ronnie but her love for him always outweighed her clear thinking of some incidents. The relationship became intimate and soon with the help of her mother Ronnie was able to get a marriage proposal and ceremony in 1968. The marriage lasted until 1974 and they adopted 3 children, Donte Phillip (March 23, 1969; adopted November 1969) and twins, Louis and Garry (May 12, 1966; adopted 1973). The account of each adoption filled chapters in her book "Be my Baby." her life began to revolve around balancing the children and her drinking with the daily survival of Phil. Eventually she had to choose between life or death because so often Phil would threaten to take her life. She chose to run away even if it meant leaving the children because to take them and not get out would mean no one had a chance to get out alive.
Leaving Phil also meant leaving her home and what Phil had instilled in her, no chance for a career. The trouble was he had built up her career with control and domination but soon demeaned her to the point where the stage was not an option. Finally, when she escaped the walls that Phil had built around her, she found that so much had changed in the music business and the changes within herself left her with only one fight: Freedom. Ronnie spent much of the immediate future fight for her divorce in court where Phil would continue his manipulation of her through the court system. Often it did not end when the day of court was over because Phil would follow, still yelling. Her mother spent almost every day with her daughter knowing that Phil would be waiting after court each day ready to chase them on foot or in the car. In the early 70's money was power and he used it to take command of the court proceedings every day. A man came to her hotel room and called Phil on the phone who began to rant that Ronnie sign a paper the man brought which would give Phil parental rights over the twins. Ronnie was finally awarded alimony of $850 a month with Phil winning custody of Donte. Another devastating blow to her self esteem Phil had won and so she began to swim in the bottle daily with no hope of surfacing.
Jonathan greenfield was the only person who was able to shine light in her life and help her rebuild her inner strength that would lead to Ronnie's ability to handle the lows with more dignity and poise. Having conquered some of those lows, the highs were to come in waves but she was able to have better balance internally. Billy Joel was so inspired by the "Wall of Sound" and Ronnie's voice that he wrote "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" which she covered while backed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Genya Raven produced a more raw punk rock influenced record for Ronnie that was put her outside her element. Iin 1999 Joey Ramone would produce the critically acclaimed "She Talks to Rainbows" which featured some covers but again put Ronnie in the punk-pop sound. In 1986, Eddie Money put her back in the top 10 with an MTV favorite "Take Me Home Tonight" where she would interject her signature voice singing "Be My Little Baby."
2003 finally gave Ronnie control of the money from royalties, winning a lawsuit in the sum of $3 million forcing Phil Dpector to fulfill obligations to terms from a contract dating back to 1963.
Ronnie's life has come full circle and her growth as a person has been a guiding force in her family life. On her official web page it says "she lives in Connecticut with her husband/manager and their two sons."
