The Ronettes’ lead singer married Phil Spector!
The Ronettes were a ’60s American girl group from Harlem, New York City.
First signed by Coolpix Records in 1961 as The Darling Sisters, they moved to Phil Spector’s Phillies Records in 1963 and became The Ronettes.
What followed was a monster hit with Be My Baby, which was released the same year they signed for Phil Spector’s label.
The song was so successful that they managed to tour the world without having any other big hits. A notable highlight as an opening act for The Beatles on their world tours of the American leg in 1966.
Unfortunately, having The Ronettes hang with the Fab Four enraged Phil so much that he took Ronnie off the tour and replaced her with cousin Elaine.
Their career ended in 1967 and lead singer, Ronnie Bennet ended up marrying Phil Spector, who kept her locked up in his 23-room mansion. They divorced in 1972.
During the late ’70s, the group reunited and completed several successful tours only to disband for Ronnie Spector to pursue a solo career.
In 1988, The Ronettes filed a lawsuit against Phil Spector for unpaid royalties and eventually won, 12 years later, ordering Phil to pay them $2.6 million. After an appeal, they eventually walked away with $1.5 million in 2002.
Before the payout, Be My Baby was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1999.
It was reported that Phil Spector, in his capacity as a member of the Board of Governors, resisted the Ronettes being nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, although they had been eligible for a considerable time.
None of this would’ve happened without that one song, Be My Baby.
The Ronettes Tunes | Related Pages
Be My Baby
You can learn to play Be My Baby by The Ronettes using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, a backing track, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| E | E | F#m | B7 |
The night we met I knew I, needed you so…
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Learn to play I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by The Ronettes using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart and the original recording.
| A | A | C#m | F#m |
I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus…
The Ronettes on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was an article about The Ronettes tunes, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not by practising scales or studying theory in isolation.