Ronnie Spector is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of rock and roll".
34 Facts About Ronnie Spector
2.
Ronnie Spector's career revived when she was featured on Eddie Money's song and video "Take Me Home Tonight" in 1986, a Billboard top five single.
3.
Ronnie Spector went on to release the albums Unfinished Business, Something's Gonna Happen, Last of the Rock Stars and English Heart.
4.
Ronnie Spector recorded one extended play, Ronnie Spector Talks to Rainbows.
5.
In 1990, Ronnie Spector published a memoir, Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, Or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette.
6.
Ronnie Spector was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Ronettes in 2007.
7.
Ronnie Spector was born Veronica Yvette Bennett in East Harlem, New York City, and grew up in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan.
8.
Ronnie Spector was the daughter of Beatrice and Louis Bennett, a subway worker.
9.
Ronnie Spector's mother was African American and Cherokee, and her father was African American and Irish.
10.
Ronnie Spector's vocals were used for the lead and backing vocals.
11.
Ronnie Spector released the single "You'd Be Good For Me" on Tom Cat Records in 1975.
12.
Ronnie Spector made appearances with the E Street Band the following year, including a cover version of Billy Joel's 1976 track "Say Goodbye to Hollywood".
13.
Ronnie Spector recorded her first solo album in 1980, Siren, produced by Genya Ravan.
14.
Ronnie Spector provided guest vocals on the track "Ode to LA", on The Raveonettes' album Pretty in Black.
15.
In 2011, after the death of Amy Winehouse, Ronnie Spector released her version of Winehouse's single "Back to Black" as a tribute and for the benefit of the Daytop Village addiction treatment centers.
16.
Ronnie Spector performed this song as part of her live act, including in 2015 during a UK tour.
17.
Ronnie Spector appeared on the 2014 New Year's Eve edition of the Jools' Annual Hootenanny.
18.
In 2018, Ronnie Spector appeared in the music documentary Amy Winehouse: Back to Black, based on Winehouse and her final studio album Back to Black.
19.
Ronnie Spector was a great inspiration for Amy Winehouse, who emulated her hair, as well as vocal style.
20.
In return, Ronnie Spector covered "Back to Black", the signature song of Amy Winehouse.
21.
Ronnie Spector recalls that Winehouse turned up at a concert looking just like her while she sang her song.
22.
Ronnie Spector recalled that she saw "a tear out of her eye and it made me cry".
23.
Ronnie and Phil Spector began having an affair soon after she was signed to his label in 1963.
24.
Once, Ronnie Spector was apprehended by house detectives for prostitution at the Delmonico Hotel in New York City after leaving a room they had booked.
25.
Ronnie Spector was allowed to call Phil, who threatened the hotel, and then they allowed her to leave.
26.
Ronnie Spector released her memoir Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, Or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette in 1990; the book was later named by Rolling Stone contributor Rob Sheffield as one of the greatest rock biographies of all time.
27.
Ronnie Spector alleged in her 1990 memoir that following their marriage, Phil subjected her to years of psychological torment and sabotaged her career by forbidding her to perform.
28.
Ronnie Spector said he surrounded their house with barbed wire and guard dogs, and confiscated her shoes to prevent her from leaving; on the rare occasions he allowed her out alone, she had to drive with a life-size dummy of Phil.
29.
Ronnie Spector stated that Phil installed a gold coffin with a glass top in the basement, promising that he would kill her and display her corpse if she ever left him.
30.
Ronnie Spector began drinking and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to escape the house.
31.
In 1972, Ronnie Spector fled their mansion barefoot and without any belongings through a broken window, with the help of her mother.
32.
Ronnie Spector received $25,000, a used car, and monthly alimony of $2,500 for five years.
33.
Ronnie Spector later testified that Phil had frequently pulled a gun on her during their marriage and threatened to kill her unless she surrendered custody of their children.
34.
Ronnie Spector died at her home in Danbury on January 12,2022, shortly after getting cancer, at the age of 78.