Atlantic Ave Magazine - April 2017

►
entertainment ║ CONCERT Review
Ronnie Spector
Vows Fans at Fau
By skip SHEFFIELD
PHOTOS by tom craig
ronnie spector Jimmy Beaumont Herman SantiAGO
The first time Ronnie Spector visited
South Florida it was 1961, to open the Peppermint
Lounge in Miami. It was a sister
club to the original in New York City, where
Veronica Yvette Bennett and her group first
gained fame as teenagers.
Ronnie Spector returned to Florida to
headline an old-school rock ‘n’ roll show
April 11 at the Florida Atlantic University
Auditorium. Opening acts were Joey Dee
& The Starlighters (who headlined the
Peppermint Lounge), The Skylights with
Jimmy Beaumont and The Teenagers with
Herman Santiago.
Ronnie Spector looks and sounds better
than any ordinary 73-year-old woman
could hope to be. Ronnie Spector is not an
ordinary woman. She got her first recording
contract in 1961 when she was 17. Her
career really took off when she hooked up
with “Wall of Sound” producer Phil Spector.
Ronnie married Phil in 1968. Their marriage
lasted six years. It was tumultuous at
best, but Ronnie kept the name.
The FAU set featured favorite Ronettes
hits such as “Baby I Love You,” “So Young,”
“Walking in the Rain,” “The Best Part of
Breaking Up” and of course “Be My Baby,”
which enjoyed a rebirth in 1986 when Eddie
Money paid tribute to her.
Ronnie also sang some favorite covers,
such as Dave Clark Five’s “Because,” The
Beatles’ “I’ll Follow the Sun,” Ray Charles’
“What’d I Say,” The Bee Gees’ “How Can
You Mend a Broken Heart?” and Amy
Winehouse’s “Black to Black.” Amy was an
avowed Ronnie Spector admirer and emulator.
Ronnie says she has no plans to quit performing.
Who knows? We could see her
again some day.
50 April 2017 | www.AtlanticAveMagazine.com