RONETTES

The Ronettes were an American girlgroup originally made up of Victoria "Ronnie" Spector (nee Bennett), Estelle Bennett (Ronnie's older sister) and cousin Nedra Talley. The Ronnettes' professional relationship with producer Phil Spector resulted in the creation of the iconic "Wall of Sound" technique, and the group's at-the-time revolutionary multi-racial line-up, vocal harmonies and fashion sense proved influential to every grilgroup that has emerged since; from The Supremes to Destiny's Child. Lead singer Ronnie Spector's marriage to Phil Spector was beset by accusations of physical abuse, and the group later sued him for unpaid royalties. In their time together, The Ronettes released just one album, Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes, which featured the singles Be My Baby, Walkin' In The Rain and Do I Love You? The group achieved only one UK Top 10 single; the influential record Be My Baby, which peaked at Number 4 and contained such a distinctive performance from Spector, that the track would go on to influence just as many rock'n'roll bands (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones) as it did pop acts. Estelle Bennett died from colon cancer in 2009 aged 67, while lead singer Ronnie Spector's death was announced in 2022 aged 78.