Song:Be My Baby
Album:Ultimate Dirty Dancing
Of course when we look at Phil Spector today, he seems like a nutcase and possibly a murderer. But in the 60s, he produced some of the greatest pop music ever. And though he didn't create girl groups, he certainly solidified that genre. The Ronettes 1963 hit Be My Baby was one of Spector's biggest hits and is one of several oldies that got a big boost from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. The Ronettes were a family group with lead singer Veronica Bennett (born Aug. 10, 1943 in New York City), sister Estelle Bennett (born July 22, 1941 in New York City) and cousin Nedra Talley (born Jan. 27, 1946 in New York City). As The Darling Sisters, they won an Apollo Theatre talent contest in 1959. In 1961, they got a regular gig at the Peppermint Lounge by accident when they were standing in line and mistaken for another vocal group that hadn't arrived for their show. They backed up Joey Dee and earned a contract with Colpix Records as Ronnie & The Relatives. They flopped but got the attention of producer Phil Spector. He was looking for a replacement for The Crystals and he liked Ronnie's voice and look. He signed them to his Philles label, renamed them The Ronettes and gave them a glamourous bad girl image. Be My Baby was the first single. Spector wrote it with the legendary songwriting team of Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich. Be My Baby hit #2 on the pop charts and #4 on the R & B charts. Baby I Love You also did well but subsequent Ronettes singles didn't do as well. The Ronettes split in 1966. Estelle & Nedra both married and quit the music business. Of course Ronnie married Phil Spector in 1968 and recorded unsuccessfully occasionally over the years. They divorced in 1974 due to Spector's bizaare behaviour. The one success Ronnie had was the 1986 duet with Eddie Money Take Me Home Tonight. The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007. Be My Baby still sounds great today. Here are The Ronettes performing Be My Baby on Shindig 1965.
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