The Ronettes
 Girl
groups came to the forefront of popular music in the early
60s, and none more so than The Ronettes, a trio of New York Puerto
Ricans led by Veronica (Ronnie) Bennett, who had been performing
at the Peppermint Lounge in New York (where The Twist craze
started) and working as backing singers.
The trio actually began as a dance act called The Dolly Sisters
before recording as Ronnie & The Relatives, and eventually The
Ronettes.
It was in this capacity that Phil
Spector first hired them, but sensing their potential he
signed them up, ensuring that their debut Be My Baby
would be one of his best creations (a point to remember for your
next pub quiz: Leon Russell was
among the session players on Be My Baby).
 The Ronettes' adept singing made Baby I Love You, The
Best Part of Breaking Up and Walking In The Rain
among the finest records ever recorded by a female group.
During
this time, Spector (who married Ronnie in 1965) was
perfecting his 'wall of sound' - simultaneously recording the
voices, four guitarists, three pianos, two basses, a drummer,
three other percussionists and four horn players.
When Ronnie left Phil Spector and re-formed the group in the
early 70s, her sister Estelle was not invited to join.
The rest of
Estelle's life was then spent on lawsuits to recover royalties,
eating disorders, homelessness and mental illness.
She refused to perform with The Ronettes when they were
inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007 but did
attend to make her own individual thank you speech.
In 2009, after her family had been unable to contact her for a
number of days, Estelle Bennett was found in her apartment dead
from colon cancer. She was 67.
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