She Was a Darling

 Re-uploaded by request 2/22/2024

We interrupt these Various productions for this announcement...

Had this in the works for next month's "Fems of February" but with the passing of this grand dame, thought I'd bump it up to today. 

 Veronica 'Ronnie Spector' Bennett...we'll miss you, lady.

The Ronettes were an American girl group from Spanish Harlem, New York. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, & their cousin Nedra Talley. They had sung together since they were teenagers, then known as "The Darling Sisters". Signed first by Colpix Records in 1961, they moved to Phil Spector's Philles Records in March 1963. At that time they changed their name to "The Ronettes". 

 

Phil Spector had crafted his role as a record producer (& pop song scribe) into something iconic & cinematic, building his treasured Wall of Sound aesthetic brick by brick, with wind-swept orchestration, booming steady rhythms, luxuriously multi-layered vocals, & soulful, operatic melodies as his building blocks.

He was the craftsman behind a vast range of tunes: "He's a Rebel" by The Crystals; "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" - The Righteous Brothers; "River Deep-Mountain High" - Ike & Tina Turner; "Let it Be" - The Beatles; "All Things Must Pass" - George Harrison; "Instant Karma" - Plastic Ono Band; "Death of a Ladies Man" - Leonard Cohen; "End of the Century" - The Ramones...this shows the range of his abilities but barely touches his prolific output.

But "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes, featuring the tight choir of these NYC street angels on the Spector-produced song co-written with Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich put the sensual, savvy voice of Ronnie Bennett in the forefront, pushing it beyond the boundaries of the song's complex layers of orchestration. With that song, Ronnie became Philles Records first true "star" greater than Phil himself.

The Ronettes placed nine songs on the Billboard Hot 100, five of which became Top 40 hits. Among their most famous songs are "Be My Baby", "Baby, I Love You", "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up", and "Walking in the Rain". In 1964, the group released their only studio album, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica. That year, the Rolling Stones were their opening act when they toured the UK. The Ronettes opened for the Beatles on their 1966 US tour, becoming the only girl group to tour with them. 

 

 

The Ronettes - The Best of the Ronettes, ABKCO 72122, 1992.
decryption code in comments

Be My Baby
Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love
I Wonder
Baby, I Love You
(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up
So Young
When I Saw You
Do I Love You?
You, Baby
How Does it Feel?
Walking in the Rain
Born to Be Together
Is This What I Get for Loving You?
Paradise
Here I Sit
I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine
Everything Under the Sun
You Came, You Saw, You Conquered

R.I.P. Ronnie,
NØ