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Be My Baby: A Memoir Kindle Edition
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Hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the greatest rock memoirs of all time, Be My Baby is the true story of how Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ronnie Spector carved out a space for herself against tremendous odds amid the chaos of the 1960s music scene and beyond.
With a new introduction by Ronnie Spector.
Ronnie Spector’s first collaboration with producer Phil Spector, “Be My Baby,” stunned the world and shot girl group the Ronettes to stardom. No one could sing as clearly, as emotively as Ronnie. But her voice was soon drowned out in Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, and lost in Ronnie and Phil’s ensuing romance and marriage.
Ronnie had to fight tooth and nail to wrest back control of her life, her music, and her legacy. And while she regained her footing, Ronnie found herself recording with Stevie Van Zandt, partying with David Bowie, and touring with Bruce Springsteen.
Smart, humorous, and self-possessed, Be My Baby is a whirlwind account of the twists and turns in the life of an artist. More than anything, Be My Baby is a testament to the fact that it is possible to stand up to a powerful abuser and start on a second—or third, or fifth—act. In fact, almost six decades into her career, Ronnie Spector is still touring.
Includes photographs
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHenry Holt and Co.
- Publication dateMay 3, 2022
- File size20868 KB
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
Rolling Stone: 50 Greatest Rock Memoirs of All Time (#14)
NME: 20 Rock Memoirs That Don’t Hold Back (#10)
Far Out Magazine (UK): 10 Greatest Rock Memoirs of All Time (#8)
“What a trip it was, being Miss Ronnie Spector. And what a perfect, challenging moment in our culture to revisit―and revel in―this edge-of-your-seat tutorial from the ultimate Cool Girl on surviving her tumultuous rock opera with joy and talent intact. These pages are laced with pure, straight-up Ronnie―hilariously deadpan about her astonishing life, fierce, clear-eyed, and still mad for the music. Dive in and fall in l-o-v-e.”
―Gerri Hirshey, author of We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The True, Tough Story of Women in Rock
“As a reading experience it certainly hits the high notes . . . It's candid stuff, and readers will be enthralled by it all.”
―Christopher Osterberg, Budapest Times
“An entertaining, gossipy, whirlwind ride through the 1960s.”
―Wendy Leigh, London Sunday Times
“Funny and observant, consistently engaging . . . sprinkled with deadpan humor.”
―Mike Boehm, Los Angeles Times
“Entertaining, often disturbing . . . well told and . . . quite moving. Be My Baby . . . marks the passage of Ronnie Spector from victim to survivor.”
―Alan Light, Rolling Stone
“If you’re looking for self-pity, you’ll be disappointed, because her book, like her voice, is full of cocky, smart, self-aware humor. And, yes, in case you were wondering, it totally sucked to be married to Phil Spector.”
―Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone
“Arguably one of the most potent voices of rock 'n' roll’s early moments, Ronnie Spector was the lynchpin of The Ronettes and the ultimate 1960s powerhouse performer. . . . She is strong, bolshy and sharp as a tack.”
―Far Out (UK)
“An enthralling and moving Dante-esque descent through the rock 'n' roll inferno. One of the three greatest rock 'n' roll memoirs.”
―Jon Wilde, Blitz (London)
“Not only does this book give a revealing look at what it takes to be in one of the greatest girl groups of all time, it also casts a sinister light on Ronnie’s former husband and Wall of Sound svengali, Phil Spector.”
―Emily Barker, NME
“Despite all the hard times, Ronnie comes across here as a survivor, and the book maintains a surprisingly jaunty tone.”
―Ilene Cooper, Booklist
“A lively, illuminating read . . . Spector’s portrait of the energy of the early Sixties music scene is fascinating.”
―Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Vince Waldron is an author and Emmy-winning writer. He lives in Los Angeles.
Product details
- ASIN : B092T8PBF3
- Publisher : Henry Holt and Co. (May 3, 2022)
- Publication date : May 3, 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 20868 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 361 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1250837197
- Best Sellers Rank: #379,379 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #79 in Pop Culture Music
- #90 in Popular Music (Kindle Store)
- #131 in R&B & Soul Artist Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

Ronnie Spector became an icon at the age of 19, when she rose to fame as lead singer of the Ronettes, the influential girl group responsible for a string of hits that included “Baby I Love You,” “Walking in the Rain,” and ”Be My Baby," which Brian Wilson has called “the greatest record ever made.” The embodiment of the heart, soul, and passion of rock and roll, Ronnie Spector was inducted, with the Ronettes, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2007.

Vince Waldron is the author of The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book, now available in a newly revised and expanded edition from Chicago Review Press. He also wrote Classic Sitcoms, an encyclopedic study of American situation comedy that recently celebrated its 25th year in print. With pop legend Ronnie Spector, he co-authored the singer's acclaimed memoir, Be My Baby, an international bestseller that was named one of the "Top 25 Rock and Roll Memoirs of All Time" by Rolling Stone.
An Emmy-Award winning television writer, Vince began his career as a performer at Paul Sills' Story Theatre of Chicago, and was also a member of Chicago's Second City troupe. As a playwright, Vince wrote and directed "American Splendor," based on stories by Harvey Pekar, and "Confessions of a Ladykiller," a dark comedy that won two Dramalogue Awards, for writing and direction, and was nominated for a pair of Los Angeles Ovation Awards.
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Top reviews from the United States
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But the good parts are interesting and allow this book to have some real value in music history, particularly that classic period in the 1960’s when Phil Spector was producing the “Wall of Sound” hits which live so strongly today. Ronnie was the lead singer in the Ronettes, with her sister and cousin in back-up vocalist roles. Phil Spector immediately recognized the unique quality of her voice, and wrote a classic song for her, “Be My Baby” (with Greenwich and Barry), as their first, and probably most successful release. It was an immediate hit and propelled the group/Ronnie, to years of touring, mainly as an ”oldies” group. There were a few more hit records after that one, but within a few years, Spector directed his attention to others, at Ronnie’s painful expense.
She came into contact with all of the big music stars of the day, especially the Beatles (who asked her to tour with them), a one-night stand with David Bowie, work with Steve Van Zandt, Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny, the Rolling Stones (Keith Richards wrote the Foreword), Eddie Money, Joey Dee and many others. Her touring, recording and music activities are all good stuff, and worth the read. But her personal life… whew! The worst was Phil Spector, truly a mad genius. His genius was in the studio; his mad part, particularly as his wife in his 23-room mansion, was a horror movie for her—and for the reader. Alcoholism and its devastation were a constant danger. She finally gets sober, ends up with a Jewish husband and two kids and a kind of “normal” happiness she seems to have always craved. If you can get through the personal stuff, the music parts are worthwhile. She passed away in January of 2022, one of the true survivors of the often-lethal world of the music business.
It had to be difficult spending years married to such a controlling person. Glad she found a happy ending but I did wonder what happened to Donte.
Top reviews from other countries
For whoever is interested in music of the 60's and the story behind the greatest girl group ever.......this is one of the must reads.





