She was the voice behind the classics ” Be My Baby ” and ” Walking in the Rain “: Ronnie Spector died following a brief battle with cancer.
Ronnie Spector, leader of the Ronettes and the voice behind immortal classics like ” Be My Baby ” and ” Walking in the Rain“, Died Wednesday following a brief battle with cancer. She was 78 years old.
« Ronnie lived his life with twinkles in his eyes, a fearless demeanor, a mischievous sense of humor and a smile on his facehis family said in a statement. She was filled with love and gratitude. Her cheerful sound, playful nature and magical presence will survive in everyone who knew, heard or seen her.. »
The Ronettes were the epitome of the early 1960s girl group era, and Spector’s voice propelled all of their songs. Last year, ” Be My Baby“, The flagship track of the genre, was ranked 22nd on the list of the 500 greatest songs of all time of Rolling Stone.
« All the musicians dropped what they held, and they watched that new girl in town, recalled Spector in a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone. All the musicians were shouting, ‘Oh, my God. His voice !’ And I said: “Me? A girl from Spanish Harlem? “” .
The enormous success of ” Be My Baby In the summer of 1963 made Ronettes superstars, and sent shock waves through the pop landscape. ” I was driving [la première fois que je l’ai entendue], and I had to park on the side of the road. It blew me away , said Brian Wilson in 2013. I felt like I wanted to try and do something as good as this song, and I never did. I stopped trying. It is the greatest record ever produced. No one will ever be able to match it. »
The Ronettes themselves struggled to outdo him, although they enjoyed a streak of success over the next year which led them to England, where they toured with the Rolling Stones. The group also recorded “ Baby, I Love You« , « Walking in the Rain« , « (The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up ” and ” Do I Love You« .
« I just heard the news regarding Ronnie Spector, and I don’t know what to sayWilson reacted in a statement shortly following the announcement of his death. I loved her voice so much, and she was a very special person and a dear friend. It breaks my heart. Ronnie’s music and spirit will live on forever« .
« She will have her own place in history because there was no one like her, declares to Rolling Stone Darlene Love, who also worked with Spector in her early days. When I first met her in 1964, she was this tiny little thing – she reminded me of a little Barbie doll. But she had a big voice. The way she sang and moved on stage was rock and roll. »
Phil Spector, who began an affair with Ronnie soon following signing with the band in 1963, produced all of the band’s hits. They married in 1968 and separated in 1972. In his 1990 memoirs, Be My Baby, she writes that her relationship with Spector has been marked by years of horrific violence and abuse. ” As I have said many times during his lifetime, he was a brilliant producer, but a lousy husband., she had declared shortly following his death last year. Unfortunately, Phil was not able to live and function outside of the recording studio. Darkness set in, many lives were damaged. I smile once more every time I hear the music we made together, and I always will. The music will be eternal. »
Veronica Yvette Bennett grew up in New York City and started singing with her sister Estelle and their cousin Nedra Talley from a young age. Calling themselves the Darling Sisters, they performed all over town while still attending George Washington High School. After a few unsuccessful singles, Phil Spector signs them and immediately begins to write songs especially for his voice. ” Watching him create in the recording studio, I knew I was working with the best, she says. He had total control, he was in charge of everyone. So much to love regarding this time. »
In 1964, the group traveled to England to perform a series of concerts with the Rolling Stones the following year. ” It was a bunch of shaggy guys, she told Rolling Stone in 2016. But I loved them, and I especially loved Keith because I love that raw look he had« .
« They might sing whatever they wanted through a sound barrierRichards said when the group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. They didn’t need anything. »
The success of British Invasion bands like the Stones and The Beatles caused the loss of huge fans to bands like the Ronettes. And when the Ronettes were hired to open for The Beatles on their 1966 US tour, a jealous Phil Spector wouldn’t let Ronnie go. (They were forced to play the concerts without it).
It is the start of an extremely dark period in her life, where Phil Spector tries to exert as much control as possible over her, rarely letting Ronnie leave their home. ” He never let me read the newspaper or watch TV, she revealed to the New Yorker in 2012. I didn’t even know Woodstock had taken place. And when Charles Manson killed these people on August 10, 1969, very close to our place, I didn’t know it either. All I knew was that Phil had started installing barbed wire, then guard dogs, and finally guns. »
She finally broke free from him in 1972 and began to resume her life and career. ” My ex took away the vocals from me, and it was devastating because I had no idea I would never record. I had no idea that I would never perform once more, when it was my life. I was in shock: this person writes your records and produces them… And then you are never going to sing once more. »
Her comeback began in 1976, when she recorded a cover of ” Say Goodbye to Hollywood By Billy Joel with the E Street Band. But she did not return to the limelight until 1986, when Eddie Money made her record a live extract of ” Be My Baby “For his hit” Take Me Home Tonight“. The song was a massive success and introduced Spector’s music to a new generation. ” This song gave her career a boost, which was amazing, this Love. It shows that you can take control of your life. You can come back as hard as you want. »
Over the past decades, Spector has toured extensively and has released a new record from time to time. In 2016, she released an album of covers of the British Invasion, English Heart. « If someone had told me in the 1960s that I would be here 50 years later, singing those songs once more, I would have said: “You are crazy” ».
Eddie Money – “Take Me Home Tonight”
The Ronettes – “Frosty the Snowman”
Ronnie Spector – “Say Goodbye to Hollywood”
Andy Greene
Translated by the editorial staff
