Ronnie Spector Interview: ‘Be My Baby’ and Her Biggest Influence
by Dennis Elsas
Ronnie Spector and Dennis Elsas in 2010 (Photo: Dennis Elsas Archives; used with permission)
The lead singer of the 1963 smash, “Be My Baby,” was born Veronica Bennett into a multi-racial family in New York City on August 10, 1943. In her teens, she formed the Ronettes with her older sister, Estelle, and her cousin, Nedra Talley. Phil Spector signed them to his own label in 1963 and they soon released several hits including “Baby, I Love You,” “Walking in the Rain,” and the biggest, “Be My Baby.”
Though they had numerous singles, they only put out one album, in late 1964. Ronnie married Phil Spector in 1968. They adopted three children before divorcing in 1974.
Ronnie Spector died on January 12, 2022, at age 78. In 2010, while in New York to plan a new show, she visited legendary disc jockey Dennis Elsas.
Elsas is, as many Best Classic Bands readers know, one of the most respected album rock air personalities in the nation. From a quarter-century-plus stint as a DJ and music director at WNEW-FM to his endeavors today as afternoon drive host at the esteemed WFUV and as co-host of the weekly Beatles talk and “call-in” show, “Fab Fourum,” heard exclusively on the Beatles Sirius/XM Channel (18) plus weekend shifts on Sirius/XM’s Classic Vinyl Channel (26), he has earned the regard of listeners and artists alike. Dennis occasionally presents his Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Forgets live multimedia show, a real treat that greater New York metro area rock fans should not miss. He celebrated his 50th anniversary on New York radio in 2021.
In this Ronnie Spector interview, Elsas talked to her about the singer who inspired her career and those early years.
Dennis Elsas: It’s Frankie Lymon’s voice that inspired you.
Ronnie Spector: If it wasn’t for Frankie Lymon, I wouldn’t be here with you, Dennis. I lived on 151st between Amsterdam and Broadway, and he lived at 165th. I first heard “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” and I said, “I love that voice. I love that song.” I didn’t know if he was Black or White, boy or girl, because he had a high voice. But I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I went home to my mother and father and said “You’ve gotta send me for vocal lessons.” But they said “We can’t afford that.”
So I never went to piano lessons or singing lessons. But I would come home from school and I would put on Frankie Lymon, the Students, the Schoolboys. Those voices are how I learned how to sing.
DE: Take us from 14 years old, hanging out with Frankie Lymon, being influenced by Doo Wop. How do you and the other ladies become the Ronettes?
RS: We stayed at my grandparents’ apartment after school. I had all these first cousins. That’s how we formed the Ronettes. There were five girls. My two first cousins, Diane and Elaine… their parents didn’t want them to sing rock and roll so that’s how we had [just] the three Ronettes.
The Teenagers were half-Spanish, some of them were Black. I said, “We can do this, girls.” Because I’m mixed blood. If Frankie Lymon has Spanish guys in his group, why can’t we? Because one of the Ronettes was half-Spanish, I’m half-Irish and Cherokee Indian. I knew at 11 years old that I could sing because I went downstairs in the lobby and I heard this great echo coming out of my voice. That’s when I said, “I can record, I can do everything. I can be just like Frankie Lymon, but a girl.” And I had the Ronettes as my backup, just like the Teenagers.
DE: The first time that I heard the Ronettes was as part of Murray the K’s Dancing Girls. One of the great rock and roll disc jockeys of all-time. Murray had all kinds of schtick, he was kind of like a carnival barker. I would hear him say, “Hello, Girls!”
The Ronettes with Murray the K (From left: Nedra Talley, Ronnie Spector, Estelle Bennett)
RS: We had all this schtick. We used to go from school, right to WINS. At the time, we didn’t have the name, the Ronettes. So he would just call us his beautiful dancing girls. We’d come on stage at the Brooklyn Fox. We sang and danced. Because no one else did that. We wore tight dresses where everyone else wore flared dresses. We had slits up to here. And big hair. It was something no one had ever seen. (laughs)
[Elsas shows her his program from the Murray the K Christmas Revue from December 1962. It included Jackie Wilson, the Shirelles, the Four Seasons, Sam and Dave, the Dovells, the Ronettes, Little Eva, Dionne Warwick, and more.]
DE: It was the first rock ’n’ roll show I ever saw. How many shows a day did the artists have to do?
RS: At least five. We stayed there from 12 o’clock until at least nine. I remember Jackie Wilson on stage. The women loved him. He was sweating! When we would back him up, we would sort of move to the side and let him take his bow. Because he knew he would get us all wet.
Watch the Ronettes on American Bandstand in 1963
Before we had hit records, we were so happy doing this with Murray. He sort of brought us out and then we met Phil Spector, and the rest is history.
DE: When you were making those records, did you have any sense in the midst of it all, what it was going to sound like on the radio?
Spector at the Brooklyn Fox Theater, 1964 (Photo via her website)
RS: No. Because once my voice was on, it was the final thing. Once Phil got all the music down, I [would] come in and record after everybody was gone. I never saw people. I remember once, [session drummer] Earl Palmer said, “Ronnie, you could be the next Billie Holiday.” Everybody had this thing about my voice that I didn’t really get. Because I was in the studio all the time. And I just did what I was told.
I used to have to go to [Phil’s] penthouse, because he had a piano, to learn the songs. One day, Jeff [Barry] and Ellie [Greenwich] were coming up. He said, “Go into the guest room because I don’t want them to see you.” I’m listening to them and Ellie kicking ass on the piano. And they said, “It’s perfect for her. Because she’s like a child. She’s like a baby. Put that down. Be my baby.” And she said, “Phil, you like her, right?” And he said, “I love her!” Be my little baby! Everything from that day came from my actions and my voice and the love Phil had for me.
There’s plenty more where that came from. Listen to Elsas’ entire Ronnie Spector interview here.
Ronnie Spector’s recordings are available here. Her books are available here.
Dennis was hired at WNEW-FM by the station’s program director, Scott Muni, one of the legendary DJs he had grown up listening to. He quickly ascended to the position of Music Director, and received the rock ‘n’ roll music industry education of a lifetime. The station was emerging as one of the premiere rock radio stations and Dennis was integral to creating its sound. He was also meeting and interviewing a stream of rock ‘n’ roll heroes, including Elton John, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Lennon was his in-studio guest on Saturday afternoon, September 28, 1974. They had met previously at the Record Plant Recording Studio as Lennon was finishing his latest album Walls and Bridges. During the conversation, Elsas casually invited him to visit WNEW-FM. When Lennon actually showed up, Dennis was more than a little surprised. What began as a discussion of the new album quickly turned into two hours of rare Beatles memories, speculation on a reunion, and candor about his immigration fight. Lennon even took over as DJ, playing some favorite, obscure 45s he’d brought with him, reading live commercials, and giving the weather reports.
Years later, excerpts of that historic afternoon were used in the Beatles Anthology, numerous books, and various documentaries. The entire show has become part of the permanent collection of the Paley Center For Media (formally the Museum of Television and Radio). It is also a pivotal part of the recent award winning PBS American Masters film “LENNONNYC”.
The interview also inspired Elsas to produce, co-write and host the radio documentary, It Was Forty Years Ago Today: The Beatles Invade America which won a number of prestigious awards (e.g. New York State Broadcasters Association Best Documentary, New York Festivals World Medal.) It aired on WFUV in February, 2004. Revised for the fiftieth anniversary in 2014, it is now featured in the Grammy Museum’s traveling exhibit Ladies and Gentleman…The Beatles!
In May 1976, Dennis took over the prime 6-10 PM slot on WNEW-FM, bringing his creative programming of the station’s vast rock ‘n’ roll record library to the nighttime audience. Rock ‘n’ roll history was being made at 102.7, and whether he was in the studio with Meatloaf, backstage with Bob Seger or onstage with John Mellencamp, Dennis was sharing the experience with his listeners. In the 1980’s he created the popular Beach Party program. The station became known as the place “Where Rock Lives” and Elsas remained there through 1998.
While still at WNEW-FM, Dennis expanded his broadcasting activities to include two years as the music correspondent for television’s PM Magazine, and to host such syndicated radio shows as Rock Today, Rock ‘n Roll Never Forgets and Billboard Entertainment News.
Dennis’ voiceover career also grew with numerous projects for HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and The Movie Channel. Corporate and commercial clients included American Express, Time, Lancôme, Procter and Gamble, and Kraft Foods. He is now featured as the “Voice of Rock History” at the Museum at Bethel Woods – the story of the Sixties and Woodstock – and has been the announcer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame broadcasts and VH1’s Concert of the Century at the White House. Dennis was the narrator of Discovery Magazine on the Discover Network and the “voice” of the Smithsonian Channel.
But his abiding passion is to be on the air, programming music that blends old favorites with new discoveries, interviewing artists and interacting with his listeners. Today he’s happily doing that seven days a week.
Since the summer of 2000 he’s been hosting weekday afternoons (2-6 PM) on New York’s WFUV (90.7 FM, and streaming at WFUV.org). With an eclectic mix of rock, folk, jazz and blues and, guests in the studio that have included Elvis Costello, Ben Folds, Patti Smith, Edie Brickell and Ringo Starr, Dennis continues the tradition of progressive radio he helped to create.
In May 2004 he joined Sirius/XM’s Classic Vinyl (26) where he can be heard every Saturday and Sunday. He also serves as co-host of the weekly Beatles talk and “call-in” show, “Fab Fourum,” heard exclusively on the Beatles Sirius/XM Channel (18), sharing his Classic Rock knowledge and memories with a worldwide audience.
In 2010 Dennis created Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Forgets – a live multimedia show featuring highlights from his history making interviews with John Lennon, Elton John, Jerry Garcia and more. As one of the pioneers of the progressive FM radio revolution at WNEW-FM and continuing today with new opportunities at WFUV and Sirius/XM, Dennis shares his favorite stories and unique perspective on rock and radio in person with enthusiastic audiences.
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationI have never seen singers look so happy and pleased when performing on stage as Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes! I had the pleasure of seeing Ronnie perform once in NYC. Her music will live on as her legacy! R.I.P.
I really enjoy the “You Say You Want a Revolution” drop-ins on the Sirius/XM Beatles Channel.