Be My Baby by Ronnie Spector with Vince Waldron

Last night I finished "Be My Baby: How I survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or My Life as a Fabulous Ronette" by Ronnie Spector, with Vince Waldron. I spotted it at a small bookstore last week, and being a huge fan of the Ronettes, I grabbed it immediately. I have always loved Ronnie's one-of-a-kind voice, and was curious about her life, and, I have to admit, Phil Spector's, too.

Veronica (Ronnie) Bennett was born in Spanish Harlem on August 10, 1943. Ronnie loved singing as a child, and soon formed an all-girl group, The Ronettes, with her sister, Estelle, and cousin, Nedra Talley. The Ronettes were quickly scooped up by legendary music producer, Phil Spector, who was famous for creating the distinctive, "Wall of Sound," a layering technique, producing a rich and complex sound. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

The gorgeous Ronnie and boy genius, Phil, fell madly in love, and eventually married. The couple moved into a California mansion and adopted two young boys. Unfortunately, the fairy tale had a twisted ending (as so many fairytales do!), with Ronnie fleeing the confines of their mansion in her bare feet, with no money or possessions, never to return.

However, being the survivor that she is, Ronnie ultimately triumphed over many of the familiar hazards of a rock and roll life. She got by with a little help from her friends, including John Lennon, George Harrison, Cher, Billy Joel, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Money, and Joey Ramone, but to name a few. (Cher wrote the book's forward, and the introduction is written by Bill Joel.)

Ms. Spector calls herself, "Rock and Roll's Bad Girl," but she's actually a "good girl"; a loving wife and mother, devoted daughter, and supportive sister. She's loyal to a fault, innocently sweet, and refreshingly candid about her missteps, many of them life-altering. (The updated edition includes new material, revealing Ronnie's take on Phil Spector's bizzare arrest and ultimate conviction of second degree murder.)

I loved this intimate rock and roll memoir. "Be My Baby" is as tempestuous as the sixties themselves. Follow Ronnie on her blog or website, or Twitter.