Don’t call it a comeback. Sure, Ronnie Spector, the Spanish Harlem diva who fronted 1960s girl group The Ronettes, still sings her signature hit “Be My Baby.” But staging a comeback implies a person would like to get back to where they once were, and that’s not a place Spector wants to visit. We all know Spector’s name, or at least her voice, and possibly her big brown liquid black eyeliner ringed eyes. This is thanks to the years in the 1960s that she brought us the knowing innocence that today’s crop of teen teases could never begin to muster. Though she benefited from producer Phil Spector’s trademark wall of sound (he’s the guy who produced the Beatles), her personal relationship with the famed music maker – a rock marriage that ranks in quality with Ike and Tina Turner’s – was less than ideal. “When I first started out, I was number one all over the world,” said Spector from her Connecticut home last week, the week before she was scheduled to appear at Sunday’s Hoboken Art and Music Festival. “Then it rained on me, it was all taken away and I disappeared.” It’s been a decade since Spector’s autobiography captivated readers with details of her life with Phil Spector, which included isolation, bizarre situations and binge drinking. The pair split 20 years ago, and litigation and a surname are the only things linking the two these days. Now, Ronnie Spector is resurrecting her career with indie cred and a producing partnership with Joey Ramone. Yes, that’s the same guy who sings “I Wanna Be Sedated” and starred in Rock’N’Roll High School. Though the two seem like opposites – her way uptown miniskirts, teased hair and vibrato a contrast to his deep downtown tuneless punk attitude – they do have a few things in common. “Joey did a song of mine in the ’80s. He called me down to the studio to do like a duet with him,” recalled Spector. “I heard ‘She Talks to Rainbows,’ which he wrote, and I said ‘I’ve got to record this song. It’s so much like me in my life.'” Their collaboration, with veteran producer Daniel Ray, has been a success by all accounts. So far, it has generated a five-song CD for Kill Rock Stars, a small label in Seattle. The recording, sort of a door opener for Spector, includes an interesting mix of songs that for the first time reflect the singer’s state of mind. “This is the first time I worked with the producers and writers,” said Spector. “I did songs that were comfortable to me. It’s showing my emotions, like ‘I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine.'” One song That is the only Ronettes song that appears on the CD, a simply-presented walk through bittersweet emotion relayed by Spector’s smoky city vocals. She also duets with Ramone on “Bye Bye Baby,” and lays her chords on “You Can’t Put You Arms Around A Memory,” written by New York Dolls frontman Jonny Thunder, and “Don’t Worry Baby,” the Brian Wilson Song recorded by the Beach Boys but written for Spector back in the day. But then, everybody wanted to write songs for Ronnie Spector. Wilson, George Harrison and even Billy Joel did, resulting in what has been a career trademark of varied collaboration. It’s easy to see why: Spector’s presence and love of rock and roll, not anything else, must inspire the greats. “I’m not R&B and I don’t growl. I’m just rock and roll,” said Spector. “Rock and Roll is all about sweat, energy and tension. I live for that.” And with an indie label marketing her to college, alternative and generally younger crowds, Spector’s getting a new audience. Spin, Rolling Stone and the Village Voice have chronicled that phenomenon in the past six months, and the EP even charted on The Album Network’s Fairly Underground list. “A lot of the people I love are gone. John Lennon, Janis Joplin, Jimmi Hendrix. You can’t see them any more,” said Spector. “Somebody must like me because they’ve kept me here just to show the kids what it’s all about.” But it isn’t just the kids who like her. A happy coincidence at Sunday’s festival will be that Patti Smith will also play. Spector’s looking forward to seeing Smith, who used to play “Be My Baby” at her shows, and who once shared the stage with Spector after the Ronettes took in a show. “We have a great rapport, even though she sings a different kind of song,” said Spector. “I don’t know if we’ll be singing together in Hoboken. You know what’s great about Patty and me? It’s spontaneous. Patty’s like me. She just goes up there and sings.” So Spector will get up on that Washington Street stage and just sing. Maybe Smith will join her, maybe she’ll have other special guests. But no matter what, she’s one act that’s worth checking out.
Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
