Ronnie Spector

Veronica Yvette Greenfield née Bennett formerly Spector August 10 1943 January 12 2022 was an American singer who cofounded and fronted the girl group the Ronettes She is sometimes called the original bad girl of rock and roll Spector formed the singing group the Ronettes with her older sister Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley in the late 1950s They were signed to Phil Spectors Philles label in 1963 and he produced most of their recording output The Ronettes had a string of hits in the 1960s including Be My Baby 1963 Baby I Love You 1963 The Best Part of Breakin Up 1964 Do I Love You 1964 and Walking in the Rain 1964 Ronnie married Phil in 1968 Following the couples divorce in 1974 Ronnie reformed the Ronettes and began performing again In 1980 Spector released her debut solo album Siren Her career revived when she was featured on Eddie Moneys song and video Take Me Home Tonight in 1986 a Billboard topfive single She went on to release the albums Unfinished Business 1987 Somethings Gonna Happen 2003 Last of the Rock Stars 2006 and English Heart 2016 She also recorded one extended play She Talks to Rainbows 1999 In 1990 Ronnie Spector published a memoir Be My Baby How I Survived Mascara Miniskirts and Madness Or My Life as a Fabulous Ronette She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Ronettes in 2007 In 2023 Rolling Stone ranked Spector at 70 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time