Editing Ronnie Spector (section)

{{short description|American singer (1943–2022)}}
{{about|the singer|the special effects artist|Ronnie Specter}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image              = Ronnie Spector 1971 BW.jpg
| caption            = Spector in 1971
| birth_name         = Veronica Yvette Bennett
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1943|08|10}}
| birth_place        = New York City, U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2022|1|12|1943|8|10}}
| death_place        = [[Danbury, Connecticut]], U.S.
| alias              = {{ubl|Ronnie Bennett|Ronnie Greenfield}}
| occupation         = Singer
| years_active       = 1959–2022
| website            = {{URL|ronniespector.com}}
| genre              = {{hlist|[[pop music|Pop]]|[[Rock music|rock]]}}
| label              = {{hlist|[[Colpix Records|Colpix]]|[[Philles Records|Philles]]|[[Columbia Records|Columbia]]|[[Apple Records|Apple]]|Bad Girl Sounds}}
| past_member_of     = [[The Ronettes]]
| spouse             = {{ubl|{{marriage|[[Phil Spector]]|1968|1974|end=div}}|{{marriage|Jonathan Greenfield|1982}}}}
{{Infobox person
| child = yes
| children = 5
}}}}

'''Veronica Yvette Greenfield'''<ref name="GreenfieldLegalName">{{Cite web|date=October 17, 2002|title=1 No. 114: Ronnie Greenfield, et al. V. Philles Records, Inc., et al|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/nyctap/I02_0118.htm}}</ref> ({{nee|'''Bennett'''}}, formerly '''Spector'''; August 10, 1943 &ndash; January 12, 2022) was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group [[the Ronettes]]. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of [[rock and roll]]".<ref>{{cite news |last=Donovan |first=Patrick |title=The Last of the Rock Stars |url=https://www.theage.com.au/news/cd-reviews/the-last-of-the-rock-stars/2006/04/12/1144521394705.html |work=The Age |location=Australia |date=April 12, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Ronettes – Inductees |url=https://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_ronettes.html |url-status=dead |website=The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation |year=2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320214130/http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_ronettes.html |archive-date=March 20, 2007 }}</ref>

Spector formed the singing group the Ronettes with her older sister, [[Estelle Bennett]], and their cousin, [[Nedra Talley]], in the late 1950s. They were signed to [[Phil Spector]]'s [[Philles Records|Philles]] label in 1963 and he produced the majority of their recording output. The Ronettes had a string of hits in the 1960s, including "[[Be My Baby]]" (1963), "[[Baby, I Love You]]" (1963), "[[(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up]]" (1964), "[[Do I Love You? (The Ronettes song)|Do I Love You?]]" (1964), and "[[Walking in the Rain (The Ronettes song)|Walking in the Rain]]" (1964). Ronnie married Phil in 1968. Following the couple's divorce in 1974, Ronnie re-formed the Ronettes and began performing again.

In 1980, Spector released her debut solo album ''Siren''. Her career revived when she was featured on [[Eddie Money]]'s song and video "[[Take Me Home Tonight (song)|Take Me Home Tonight]]" in 1986, a ''Billboard'' top five single. She went on to release the albums  ''[[Unfinished Business (Ronnie Spector album)|Unfinished Business]]'' (1987), ''Something's Gonna Happen'' (2003), ''Last of the Rock Stars'' (2006) and ''[[English Heart]]'' (2016). She also recorded one [[extended play]], ''[[She Talks to Rainbows]]'' (1999). In 1990, Ronnie Spector published a memoir, ''[[Be My Baby (book)|Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, Or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette]]''.<ref name=":Cateforis01a">{{cite book |last=Cateforis |first=Theo |title=The Rock History Reader |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F7o5Wj9-EGYC&q=ronnie+spector+autobiography&pg=PA43 |publisher=Routledge |date=2013 |pages=43 |access-date=July 28, 2017 |isbn=9780415892124}}</ref> She was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] as a member of the Ronettes in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ronettes |url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/ronettes |website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |access-date=January 18, 2019}}</ref> In 2023, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Spector at number 70 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=January 1, 2023|title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/ronnie-spector-2-1234643090/|access-date=July 12, 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>