The
girls arrived at the name "Ronettes" because
that was a loose amalgam of their first names.
They spent a few years knocking around the
music business -- and working as dancers at
NYC’s Peppermint Lounge (home of “the Twist”)
-- before infamous record producer Phil
Spector signed them to his label.
Because of his strong attraction to Ronnie,
Spector lavished lots of attention on the
group and, right out of the box in 1963, they
recorded their signature tune - “Be My
Baby.”
With
its driving initial beat and Ronnie’s raw,
plaintive vocal, the song, 60 years later,
almost sounds contemporary. (And here’s
some trivia for you - an unknown Sonny and
Cher sang back-up on the song):
"Be My Baby" was The Ronettes' only Top 10
hit.
Although
they were a popular live act (the Rolling
Stones opened for them on one tour; they
opened for the Beatles on another tour), after
“Be My Baby,” things went downhill,
culminating in an ill-fated marriage between
Ronnie and Phil, and the dissolution of the
group.
Here’s
a sampler of the Ronettes:
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