Remembering Ronnie Spector And Rosa Lee Hawkins

It’s been a lousy month for fans of ‘60s girl groups, as they were known. We lost the amazing Ronnie Spector, of The Ronettes, along with Rosa Lee Hawkins from the ever-charming Dixie Cups. 

Girl groups from that era were keeping the flame after ‘50s rock stars flamed out or just went bananas. They certainly weren’t seen that way when they were producing hit after hit with a lot of them produced by genius/scumbag Phil Spector, Ronnie’s future husband and jail keeper. The vitality of these groups is undeniable and they benefited from ridiculously creative teams of songwriters working in glorified cubicles in the Brill Building in New York.

The Ronettes were the “bad girls.” With their teased hair reaching Marge Simpson-like heights and tight dresses that seemed to announce their loose morals (at least to parents), if they weren’t rock and roll, who was? The problem in that era was the male pop stars were momma’s boys like Neil Sedaka (seriously, he lived with his mother) or pre-fab pompadours like Fabian or Frankie Avalon, created by teams of producers and record execs worried about blowback from conservative politicians who were trying to implement their own Hays Code for pop music.

Somehow, with all these vigilant chaperones watching the boys, the girls snuck through with something pretty wild and beautiful. With the lavish wall of sound provided by Phil and the (always) gospel-based harmonies that were baked into more than a few of these singers from their early years in church, the sound was overpowering. The not-so-secret weapon in the Ronettes was Ronnie’s voice, which had just a touch of smoke and a whole lot of soul. How this petite young woman produced such a sound is a mystery, but when she sang you and the rest of the world shook. Here’s their big hit, “Be My Baby,” showing off that spectacular vibrato and her sparkling stage presence.

We’re probably all familiar with the soap opera her marriage was. She was virtually locked up in Spector’s mansion and guarded when she left. Creepy to say the least. But she got out and kept going. About 10 years ago, I caught her at an outdoor concert at The Lincoln Center. She was in fine voice and, in a tribute to Amy Winehouse who had recently died, sang a little bit of “Back To Black.” It was touching to see the respect she showed for the tragic artist who modeled her career, in part, on Spector’s. 

The Dixie Cups were a New Orleans girl group, known for the all-time best wedding song, “The Chapel Of Love.” The song, oddly enough, was written for The Ronettes by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, along with the ubiquitous Phil Spector. The Dixie Cups had been signed to his Red Bird label and recorded in New York. At a later session, they began goofing on an old New Orleans tune, “Iko Iko.” Tapping on ashtrays and whatever else was handy and unaware tape was rolling, they made one of the more spontaneous hits of the ‘60s.

Both groups consisted of two sisters and a cousin — only one was named after a disposable paper cup, though. In the pop music desert between the end of the ‘50s and the arrival of The Beatles (who sang more than their share of girl group songs), the spirit was kept alive, an important job, by these two harmonizing trios and other wonderful girl groups. It’s sad to see them leave, but the music will be here for a long time.

PS: Add some joy to your life with the this fabulous Girl Group Collection on Rhino Records. It comes in a hatbox! Or perhaps, something less pricy.