Ronnie Spector, R.I.P.

Ronnie Spector, lead singer of the 1960's female vocal group The Ronettes, passed away today of cancer at the age of 78. 

Born in Spanish Harlem as Veronica Bennett, she, her older sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley sang together from early childhood and would perform at clubs and high school dances around New York City. Initially known as The Darling Sisters and later Ronnie and The Relatives, The Ronettes would sign a record deal with Colpix Records in 1961, but yielded little success until the group sought out producer Phil Spector who would turn them into an overnight sensation in 1963 with the release of "Be My Baby" and "Baby, I Love You".

The Ronettes would release their only studio album titled Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica the following year which featured the two aforementioned hits as well as "Walking in The Rain", "Do I Love You?" and "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up".

The group would tour in the U.K. with The Rolling Stones and open up for The Beatles during their final tour in 1966 although Veronica was kept away due to the possessiveness of Phil Spector with whom she had become involved. They would marry in 1968 though their union lasted only four years amid physical abuse and death threats which she documented in her 1990 book Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts and Madness. When Phil Spector died almost a year ago, she said he was "a brilliant producer, but a lousy husband."

After their marriage ended, Ronnie Spector would form Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes in 1973 but had limited success in no small part to her ex-husband's influence in the music industry. She would reemerge in the limelight in 1986 when she sang on the late Eddie Money's biggest hit, "Take Me Home Tonight". Eventually after years of litigation with the other Ronettes she recovered $1 million in royalties from her ex-husband. In 2007, she was inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Ronettes.

Ronnie Spector's time at the top was brief but when she sang she shone bright even when she was walking in the rain. R.I.P.