The Silver (Jewish) Lining to the Phil Spector Tragedy

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6:32 pm Monday, April 13, 2009
by nate bloom

As you probably heard, on April 13, a Los Angeles jury found legendary (Jewish) music producer Phil Spector, 69, guilty of murder. The jury found that the 2003 death of actress Lana Clarkson in Spector’s mansion was not a suicide as Spector’s defense maintained. Rather, Spector had murdered her.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office finally has convicted a celebrity in a high profile criminal case, even if it took ‘only’ six years to convict Spector. The Los Angeles County District attorney’s office hasn’t exactly had a great record in getting convictions in criminal cases involving celebrities (i.e., O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake, and others).

In 2007, a previous jury hearing the Spector case was deadlocked 10-2 for conviction and a hung jury was declared.

It looked like Spector might “skate” ---it took four years to bring the case to trial the first time and it is doubtful the District Attorney would have tried the case for a third time if another jury was unable to come to a verdict.

It is a shame that Spector was “finally stopped” by a murder conviction. For the last forty years or so the mentally unstable Spector has been the proverbial accident waiting to happen. His fame and wealth had given him license to live a bizarre lifestyle in which, among other things, he could keep his former wife, singer Ronnie Spector, a virtual prisoner in his mansion for years and he could pull guns with impunity on many people—including some famous people.

But that string has now played out and Spector will probably spend the rest of his life in jail. Too bad the string was not stopped by something less serious than the death of a human being.

In 2007, I wrote the following in my bi-weekly column for the website Interfaithfamily.com It was written just as Phil’s first trial was about to begin and—just as Phil’s ex-wife, the great rock singer Ronnie Spector, was about to inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As you will read, Ronnie Spector, the much better half of this famous duo, considers herself Jewish. That we can count Ronnie a “member of the tribe” is the silver lining on the Phil Spector saga.

Here's the column excerpt:

Ronnie Spector was born in New York City as Veronica Bennett to a white father and a black and Native American mother. In 1961, Ronnie joined her sister, Estelle, and her cousin, Nedra Talley, to form the Ronettes.

The Ronettes, who were really sexy and could really belt out a song, had a string of big hits in the '60s, including the classic, "Be My Baby." This great tune was written by the Jewish songwriting trio of Phil Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, and was produced by Phil Spector--utilizing his famous "Wall of Sound" production technique. (Youtube has videos of about eight different in-concert versions of this song, sung by the Ronettes.)

In 1968, Ronnie wed Phil Spector. The marriage was a nightmare, with "crazy Phil" keeping Ronnie a virtual prisoner in his mansion until she finally got the courage to leave him in 1972. They divorced in 1974.

Ironically, Phil is being tried for murder (his trial starts March 19) the same month Ronnie is being honored. As most people have heard, Phil Spector, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was arrested in 2003 for shooting and killing actress Lana Clarkson in his Los Angeles mansion. Phil Spector's arrest followed decades of bizarre behavior that included pulling guns on Ronnie, John Lennon, and Leonard Cohen.

Ronnie, who wasn't born Jewish, went on to marry another Jewish guy, Jonathan Greenfield, her current manager, and they had two sons together. Their sons have been raised Jewish.

Ronnie Spector has long referred to herself as "Jewish"--on stage during her annual Christmas concert tour and in some personal interviews. Sources who know Ronnie and her husband tell me that it is possible, but unlikely, that Ronnie has formally converted to Judaism. Ronnie, I am told, comes off as quite 'fragile' in interviews and nobody wants to press her about this detail.

You can read my full column here:

http://tinyurl.com/dg3wmf

Here is one version of the monster hit, “Be My Baby.” Yes, Phil Spector had producing/songwriting talent—and Ronnie can really sing: