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Ronettes member passes away
14-Feb-2009
Written by: Sari N. Kent
One of the Bennett sisters that made up the trio, The Ronettes, was found dead at her home in Englewood, NJ by her brother-in-law.
Estelle Bennett, a member of the musical group, The Ronettes, died on Feb. 11 at the age of 67.
According to an article on Variety.com, “Bennett's brother-in-law, Jonathan Greenfield, said police found her dead in her apartment on Wednesday after relatives had been unable to contact her. The time and cause of death have not yet been determined. Greenfield is the manager and husband of Bennett's sister, Ronettes lead singer Ronnie Spector.”
The Ronettes were comprised of the Bennett sisters and their cousin Nedra Talley. Their 1963 smash, “Be My Baby,” exemplified the technique coined “wall of sound.” The trio were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. It has been said the Rolling Stones, as well as the Beatles, were fans of the girl group.
The Variety.com article also mentions, “Their recording of ‘Be My Baby’ hit No. 2 on Billboard magazine's pop music chart that year. Among their other hits were ‘Walkin' in the Rain’ and ‘Baby I Love You.’ They also did a memorable version of ‘Sleigh Ride’ that appeared on Spector's ‘A Christmas Gift for You’ album. Their last Philles single was ‘I Can Hear Music’ in 1966.’”
Unfortunately, by the time they went their separate ways around 1967, musical tastes had shifted and their hits had dwindled.
"Estelle was Ronnie's sidekick in the Ronettes," Greenfield said Thursday. "She was very much into fashion and worked with Ronnie on the whole look and style of the Ronettes."
The Variety.com article also talks about a legal issue the women were embroiled in, “For nearly 15 years, the women waged a lengthy... court battle with Spector over royalties. They sued Spector in the late 1980s, saying he had cheated them out of royalties by using their music in ways not authorized by the their recording contract. For example, ‘Be My Baby’ was played in the opening credits of the smash 1987 movie ‘Dirty Dancing.’”
Trials were held in 1998 and 2000 where the judge ruled that Spector had to pay $2.6 million in past royalties and interest for the use of Ronettes songs as background music in movies, videocassette recordings, and advertising. But in 2002, New York State's highest court threw out that ruling on appeal in 2002. The judges noted that the contract did not actually mention secondary rights to the use of music, so-called "synchronization rights," which are a more modern phenomenon in the entertainment industry.
Besides her sister, Bennett is survived by a daughter and three grandsons.
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