If the Rock Hall of Fame was a person, who would it look like?
In my humble opinion, few individuals embody the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the way 1960s girl-group superstar Ronnie Spector does. What I mean by that is the way her remarkable career has intertwined with so many legendary figures in music.
It is truly amazing to speak to her about it, as I did backstage prior to her recent holiday show at the Arcada Theatre. It is equally amazing to the degree that her Christmas songs have become international staples, almost musically branding the holiday itself!
As we all sang along to "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," I thought of what she told me about her humble beginnings.
"In Manhattan's Spanish Harlem where I grew up, we didn't have any fireplaces or chimneys," Spector said. "My father told us that Santa came in through the fire escape … it made sense then! We didn't have much so Christmas was such a big deal to all of us. My best family memories have always been around a Christmas tree, and that is why recording those songs were so important to me."
Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett, who changed her name to Spector after marrying her producer in 1968, was very sweet, and very appreciative of her fans. At 71, she still has the charm and beauty that made her one of the most stunning figures in rock history.
Later, onstage, she spoke a bit about her close relationship with John Lennon. "He was such a close friend; he really understood me and my music."
But, ironically, a wall was put between the soon-to-be legendary groups. Her tumultuous relationship with her ex-husband was legendary. Ronnie's own accounts of her "enslavement" are both startling and heartbreaking. Although The Beatles requested her to tour with them in 1966, she was forbidden to by Phil Spector for his fear of the "backstage antics."
But the Beatles remained huge fans as they later wrote and produced with her. George Harrison wrote a single for Ronnie entitled "Try Some, Buy Some" on which John, Ringo and George even recorded background vocals!
Forming The Ronettes in her basement in 1961 with her sister, Estelle, and her cousin, Nedra, Spector wrapped her strikingly good looks, exciting dance moves and powerfully unique voice and made the group one of the biggest acts of that era. Rock legend Carole King wrote one of the group's first releases and The Ronettes exploded.
"We became huge in England and everybody wanted to go on tour with us. The (Rolling) Stones were one of those groups," she said. "We became friendly and they even stayed by my family's house, sleeping on the couch and on the floor when they first came over to the States. They were very innocent back then. All the stories about the drugs and alcohol really came later because in the beginning, the young boys were as clean as could be."
This close relationship was evidenced by the Stones' Keith Richards referring to his crush on Spector as being "The love of his life" in his autobiography. Additionally, he was even the one to personally induct The Ronettes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Not only did the Stones open for The Ronettes, but other luminaries-to-be that opened for the group included The Yardbirds (with Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck) and the up-and-coming comic Richard Pryor. She even sang on a Jimi Hendrix' record! She was definitely the queen of that generation.
As we continued to talk in her dressing room, she all of a sudden said, "You know he was a big fan of ours, too," as she pointed to a photo hanging on the wall of former St. Charles resident Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys.
"After 'Be My Baby' became a No. 1 hit, Brian wrote 'Don't Worry Baby' for me as a follow-up song in 1964. Phil Spector didn't own any of the publishing rights to that song so he wouldn't let me record it. But through the tough times, that song and its message helped me get through it all. It even got me back into singing after I gave it up for a while. So even though I didn't record it, the song wound up being written for me for another purpose," she said with a smile.
In 1986, Eddie Money recorded the pop/rock megahit "Take Me Home Tonight" in which he references her by singing … "just like Ronnie sang." She also sang on the single, and another rebirth happened for Ronnie Spector.
Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones, James Brown, Ray Charles … even Elvis! The list goes on and on - legendary rock stars who have bowed to Ronnie's royal status. She even won a 15-year historic court battle with her ex-producer/husband that paved the way for other recording groups from the 1950s and '60s to collect past royalties. Just that alone puts her at Hall of Fame status as far as I am concerned.
It is all documented in her book "Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts and Madness." David Letterman even fostered a tradition of welcoming her on his show every holiday season to sing her popular Christmas tunes.
As we said our goodbyes, she gave me a big hug (with an extra squeeze … so cool!) and said she loved the history of the theater. The history of the theater? How about the history that she carries?
It was at that moment I realized just how much hugging her was so much like stretching my arms around all the icons who made rock 'n' roll what it is today. It was like hugging Mick Jaggar's mom and The Beatles' Little League coach!
The Hall of Fame in Cleveland may house the memorabilia, but the true rock 'n' roll memories are housed within the buxom yet petite frame of Ronnie Spector.
• Ron Onesti is president and CEO of The Onesti Entertainment Corp. and The Historic Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Celebrity questions and comments? Email ron@oshows.com.