For today’s classic song of the day we go back to 1964 and Phil Spector’s favorite girl group, the Ronettes. The tune is “Do I Love You” and, when it was released in June of 1964, it went to #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #36 on the Cash Box 100. It did a bit better north of the border, hitting #14 on the Canadian charts.
“Do I Love You” was written by Pete Andreoli and Vini Poncia, with Phil Spector tagging along for his cut of the songwriting royalties. Spector gave this one his patented Wall of Sound treatment with the Wrecking Crew providing all the instrumentals. Jack Nitzsche did the arrangement.
The Ronettes consisted of two sisters and a cousin from New York City: lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. The girls, then known as the Darling Sisters, began singing together when they were teenagers then signed with Colpix Records in 1961. That didn’t work out, so they moved to Phil Spector’s Philles Records in March 1963 and changed their name to the Ronettes, after lead singer Ronnie.
Spector took the girls under his wing (and Ronnie to his bed) and threw his entire Wall of Sound at them. They ended up recording a slew of terrific singles, including “Be My Baby,” “Baby, I Love You,” “(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up,” and “Walking in the Rain.” They continued recording past the dawn of the British Invasion, and even toured with the Beatles before breaking up in 1967. The Ronettes’ recording of “Be My Baby” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and they, as a group, were inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Estelle Bennett passed away in 2009, aged 67. Ronnie Spector died in 2022, aged 78. Nedra Talley is still with us today, aged 79.
