BE MY BABY
Born in Manhattan, New York, Nedra Yvonne Talley was part of a large church-going Baptist family.
She had a mixed heritage, being part Afro-American, Native American (Cherokee), Irish and Puerto Rican. Her father was Henry, and her mother was Susan Mobley.
The wider family used to meet every Saturday night at her grandmother’s house, where they would all have a sing-song. The following day they would all go to church together.
Nedra’s grandmother died when she was fourteen and the get togethers stopped.
Missing the singing, Nedra and her two cousins, Veronica (always known as Ronnie) and Estelle Bennett, decided to form their own group.
After originally calling themselves ‘The Darling Sisters’, they changed the name to ‘Ronnie and the Relatives’.
Their mothers, who were sisters (out of a family of fourteen children), entered them for a talent contest at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, which they won singing ‘Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”
After that, they sang at bar mitzvahs, school dances and amusement parks around the Spanish Harlem area of the city. They would go to school on weekdays and only sing at the weekends.
They even had a few singles released on an obscure New York record label. One of them was written by an unknown songwriter called Carole King.
They started singing in the prestigious New York club, the Peppermint Lounge, owned by the mob. It had a celebrity clientele, including Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra and Norman Mailer.
As the girls were still of school-age and it was illegal for them to sing in clubs, their mothers applied extra make-up to them and stuffed their bras with tissues.
The make-up was supplied by Estelle, who was working in the beauty department of Macys store in New York.
They were then ‘discovered’ by DJ Murray Kaufman (Murray the K), who used them for dances at his Brooklyn Fox Theatre Rock and Roll revues, as well as playing their songs on his radio show.
It was at this time the girls changed their name to ‘The Ronettes’.
Record producer Phil Spector, ‘stole’ the group from Kaufman and signed them to his Phillies label. Nedra was just seventeen – and had stopped going to church.
Spector was obsessed with Ronnie and wanted to sign just her, but her mother said, “It’s all three or none.”
Girl groups were just taking off at the time, but Nedra decided their style and image would be extremely different. “When the Supremes came on, they were wearing gowns. I said, ‘Uh, uh. That’s not our style.”
She persuaded her Aunt to make them short dresses. “I don’t want anything wide; we want something tight – because we want to dance.”
It was Nedra who suggested beehive haircuts and heavy eye make-up. They had a distinctive image.
Spector produced their first single, ‘Be My Baby’. It went to number two in the Billboard charts.
Brian Wilson, the founder of the Beach Boys, always called this his favourite record of all time, and would play it to any visitor to his California home.
This was followed by ‘Baby, I Love You’, ‘Walking in the Rain’ and ‘The Best Part of Breaking Up’ – all massive hits.
They were an integral part of Spector creating his iconic ‘Wall of Sound’, and The Ronettes became immensely popular.
The group had nine hit singles but never reached number one in the charts.
However, they only made one LP – ‘Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes’.
It was only in later years that Nedra admitted she (and the other two girls) hadn’t actually sung on some of the records and that Spector had used session musicians.
However, all three of the original members sang on their Christmas hits, ‘Frosty the Snowman’, ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ and ‘Sleigh Ride’.
When they went on tour, they took either Nedra’s mother or the Bennett’s mother as a chaperone.
Her favourite tour was Great Britain where they supported The Rolling Stones. The two bands became good friends.
Nedra said this ensured they did not partake in drugs or drink, which were by now a large part of the music scene.
In 1966, The Ronettes supported The Beatles during the American leg of their last world tour-and they got on well with them.
The cracks soon began to appear. Phil Spector was dating Ronnie and was extremely possessive, refusing to let her tour anymore. Nedra and Estelle had to take lead vocals, whilst another cousin, Elaine, joined them on stage.
The latter two members were also concerned by the control and over-powering influence Spector was having.
Nedra started dating DJ Scott Ross. They dropped into a church one day and had an enlightening experience. They became born-again Christians.
When Phil Spector refused to let her sing Christian music, Nedra left the Ronettes – and was followed by Estelle. They were not replaced and The Ronettes split up.
Shortly afterwards, Nedra married Scott and renounced show business. “I realised that God is bigger than my career, the applause and the money.”
The couple had four children including a daughter who was also called Nedra.
Phil Spector married Ronnie Bennett.
Estelle was suffering from anorexia and went on to develop schizophrenia. For a while she was homeless.
Nedra began working as an estate agent in Virginia.
Nedra began to sing in a gospel choir. The musical director of her church released a record of his Christian music, and she sang the lead vocals. It is called ‘The Courts of the King – The Worship Music of Ted Sandquist.
In 1977, Ronnie divorced Phil Spector. It turned out he had been extremely abusive to her.
Ronnie reformed The Ronettes but neither Nedra nor Estelle agreed to be involved.
The following year, Nedra recorded her own album of church music called ‘Full Circle’. It was produced by husband Scott.
The album sleeve included a picture from the 1960s of the original Ronettes sharing a seat on a plane with John Lennon and George Harrison.
The only other recording Nedra was involved with was in singing a folk song on Roger McGuinn’s four-disc LP, “The Folk Den Project’.
Nedra became a broadcaster on Christian TV and radio stations.
In 1988, the three original members of the Ronettes sued Phil Spector for unpaid royalties. The court case was successful and they were awarded millions of dollars in compensation.
However, on appeal, the judgement was overturned and the members of the group received nothing.
Later, Phil Spector was arrested, charged and imprisoned for nineteen years for the murder of actress and model, Lana Clarkson. He died in prison.
The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, by their close friend Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
In his speech, Richards said, “They could sing all the way through a wall of sound.”
It was the last occasion the original Ronettes performed together.
Estelle Bennett died in 2009 and Ronnie Spector in 2022.
Nedra’s husband Scott, died in 2023.
Nedra died at her home in Chesapeake in Virginia.
Although they were a successful group for a very short time, with their towering hairdos and powerful harmonies, the Ronettes had a lasting effect. Musicians like Amy Winehouse cited them as an influence (and Amy even stole their beehive haircut).
RIP – Ronettes Influenced (by) Phil.
