On January 12, 2022, American singer Veronica Yvette Greenfield, who co-founded and lead the girl group The Ronettes, passed away. She is occasionally referred to as the original “bad girl of rock & roll.”

In the late 1950s, Ronnie, her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their relative Nedra Talley started a singing group. When they were contracted to Phil Spector’s Philles label in 1963, most of their recorded output was produced by him.

In the 1960s, The Ronettes enjoyed a run of successes with songs including “Be My Baby” (1963), “Baby, I Love You” (1963), “(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up” (1964), “Do I Love You?” (1964), and “Walking in the Rain” (1964).

The Ronettes rose to prominence as a popular live attraction in the greater New York area in the early 1960s. While hunting for a recording contract, they were initially signed to Colpix Records and produced by Stu Phillips.

Following a succession of unsuccessful singles on Colpix, they sought out record producer Phil Spector, who signed them to Philles Records in 1963.

What was Ronnie Spector’s cause of death?

Spector died on January 12, 2022, at the age of 78, at her home in Danbury, after a brief fight with cancer.