The Ronettes were:
Veronica 'Ronnie' Bennett (b. 10th August 1943, New York, New York State, U.S.A.)
her sister Estelle Bennett (b. 22nd July 1944, New York, U.S.A. d. 11th February 2009, Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.A.)
and cousin
Nedra Talley (b. 27th January 1946, New York, New York State, U.S.A.)
The Ronettes originally began performing as the Darling Sisters and later worked as dancers at New York's Peppermint Lounge.
The trio's first single, 'I Want A Boy', was credited to Ronnie And The Relatives, however, when 'Silhouettes' followed in 1962, the Ronettes had changed their name.
The Ronettes recorded four singles for the Colpix / May group and appeared on disc jockey Murray The K's 'Live From The Brooklyn Fox'.
The Ronettes signed with Phil Spector's Philles Records in 1963.
The same year, the group had a huge hit with the song 'Be My Baby', reaching number 2 in the charts.
The group were also involved in the legendary Christmas album, released by Spector, additionally, in 1963.
'Be My Baby' was followed by 'Baby I Love You', another Top 20 entrant in the U.S. and the U.K.
Following sides included 'The Best Part of Breaking Up', 'Walking In The Rain' (both 1964) and 'Is This What I Get For Loving You' (1965).
Their last Philles single was 'I Can Hear Music' in 1966, and going their seperate ways the following year.
For a while, Veronica Bennett was married to Phil Spector, however the marriage did not endure, and Ronnie later pursued a solo career.
After the group's breakup, Estelle hardly ever made public appearances.
The group did have an exhaustive court battle, regarding royalties, with Spector, citing the use of the song 'Be My Baby' in the opening credits of the film 'Dirty Dancing'.
In 2000, Phil Spector was ordered to pay 2.6 million dollars as compensation for the use of the women's music in various media projects.
Two years later, the award was overturned.
The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
estelle bennett
In addition to her sister, Estelle is survived by a daughter, Toyin Hunter of Santa Monica, Califonia, along with three grandsons.
phil spector
Albums:
Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica (Philes 1964)
