The ultimate girl group is coming back to Dublin! A quarter century after their last appearance, Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes will grace the stage of the National Concert Hall this January, bringing the magic of the Wall Of Sound via immortal '60s hits like Be My Baby, Baby I Love You and Walking In The Rain.
Culture had the absolute honour of talking to the incomparable Ronnie Spector ahead of her Dublin date...
Why has it taken you so long to come back to Dublin?
Who really knows? But we'll be on our way soon, and are very excited to get back. You know my Dad was Irish!!!
How does it feel to revisit your back catalogue 50 years on?
I was so fortunate in the 1960's, The Ronettes had the very best writers, Carole King, Ellie Greenwich, Cynthia Weil, Barry Mann and Harry Nilsson, to name a few. They wrote songs specifically for my voice. Those songs are like my children, I gave birth to them in the studio. And I love to perform them on stage.
I always say we weren't better, just different.
Are there any modern artists whose work you admire?
I like making music much more than listening to it. There's no one artist I really admire, but there are a bunch of recordings that I like. For m,e it's about the song. So I could go down a list of songs that I like, but I really don't know the titles, just the artists that sing them, like Ed Sheeran. There is a Rhianna song I love called Love on the Brain. I adore Adele's voice. And being a huge Frankie Lymon fan, I see a little of Frankie in Bruno Mars. But you have to remember that when I grew up, we were doing 6 shows a day at the Brooklyn Fox, and there were great singers that would be on those shows; Marvin Gaye, Dusty Springfield, Jackie Wilson, The Temptations. And talking about today's artists, I hear a bunch of them say they lip-synch because they're dancing around so much they have to lip-synch. Well let me tell you: Jackie Wilson worked hard, the Temptations had amazing routines and they sang live, so I don't really get why so many of today's artists aren't singing live in concert.
What do you think is the legacy of the music that the Ronettes made?
I guess being the first bi-racial rock group is one; we definitely had an attitude which Girl Groups didn't have back then, we created a look and style, we took a little bit from Cleopatra, a bit of Brigitte Bardot, mixed that with the streets of Spanish Harlem and took that to the stage. I am proud to say our style is still out there, even the cat-eye eyeliner. I always say we weren't better, just different. The Ronettes were a rock group, and I think we had an honesty about what we did. We had a sex appeal the other girl groups didn't have. The music and style has lasted over a half-century, and my favorite singer from the last 10 years, Amy Winehouse was influenced by it, and I think that says more about our legacy than I ever could.
What can your Irish fans expect from the show?
A show that's much more than just a concert - we're out on tour now and the fans are freaking out. It's an experience you won't have anywhere else. One thing I know about the Irish, they love Rock & Roll, and so do I! It's going to be a blast. I just can't wait to get back to Dublin!
Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes will take to the National Concert Hall stage on Monday 21st of January 2019 at 8pm - more details here.
