. Her powerful and unique voice was a main strength of the band, as was the band's exotic and glamorous look. The group began as dancers at the Peppermint Lounge in New York and made a string of unsuccessful records in the early '60s before hooking up with
in 1963 and releasing great songs and smash hits like "Be My Baby," "Walking in the Rain," "Do I Love You," and "I Can Hear Music." Soon after they began recording with him,
and they were married in 1968.
's mansion, releasing only "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" in 1969 for A&M and "Try Some Buy Some" for Apple in 1971. The song was written by
backing her up, but it wasn't a hit.
The dissolution of the bad marriage in the early '70s left
Ronnie free to pursue singing again. She put together a new edition of
the Ronettes with
Denise Edwards and
Chip Fields and recorded a couple of singles, "Lover Lover" in 1973 and "I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine" in 1974, for Buddah. The records did nothing on the charts and she soon broke up the new
Ronettes and went solo. After a failed disco single,
Ronnie got help from some heavyweights on her next effort. Released in 1976, "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" was written by
Billy Joel and the backing band was noted
Phil Spector devotee
Bruce Springsteen and his
E Street Band. Despite the pedigree and the fact that it was a great song, it didn't make much of a commercial impression. Her next single was 1978's "It's a Heartache," and it was a huge hit. For
Bonnie Tyler, that is, not
Ronnie.
Spector's first solo album,
Siren, was released in 1980 and featured a new wave sound and production by former girl group singer
Genya Ravan. As with everything she had released since the glory days of
the Ronettes, it was not a hit.
Spector finally tasted some chart success in 1986 with "Take Me Home Tonight," a duet with
Eddie Money, and managed to land a record deal with Columbia.
Unfinished Business was released in 1987 and featured songs by
Diane Warren,
Desmond Child, and
Gregory Abbott and appearances by
Bangle Susanna Hoffs,
Paul Schaffer, and
Eddie Money. She made a concerted effort to push the record (starring in an HBO concert, appearing at the American Music Awards, singing at a Radio City Music Hall Christmas show, duetting with Southside Johnny) but it never took off. In 1988 she was reduced to being a member of the
Dirty Dancing oldies concert tour. In 1990 she published her autobiography,
Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts and Madness. It was a fascinating tale of a wild and at times harrowing life and sparked new interest in
Ronnie. She didn't release any records in the 1990s but appeared on many compilations and soundtracks, including the theme song to
Roseanne's cartoon,
Little Rosey, a duet with fellow
Spector survivor
Darlene Love on
A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 2, and the cast album of
Tim Rice's
Tycoon.
In 1999
Ronnie returned to the studio to record new solo material. Creation in the U.K. and Kill Rock Stars in the U.S. released the
Joey Ramone-produced
She Talks to Rainbows EP to loads of critical acclaim. Featured on the disc were versions of
Johnny Thunders' beautiful ballad "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" and
the Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby," which
Brian Wilson had originally written for her.
Ronnie's voice was strong, weathered by time and experience, but still that marvelous instrument that is unmistakably hers alone. After time spent touring and being with her family in Connecticut,
Spector returned in 2003 with
Something's Gonna Happen, a five-song EP of
Marshall Crenshaw covers, a guest appearance on
the Misfits'
Project 1950 record, and in 2005, a featured spot on
the Raveonettes'
Pretty in Black. All this led up to the release of
Spector's first full-length release in almost 20 years, 2006's
The Last of the Rock Stars. The album featured collaborations with an impressive list of rockers old and new, including the Greenhornes, Keith Richards, Patti Smith, and Nick Zinner.
Spector resurfaced in 2010 with an EP of Christmas songs titled Best Christmas Ever.
–
Tim Sendra, Rovi