9 June 1998, the Ronettes vs Phil Spector in a Royalties Battle
9 June 1998, the Ronettes lawsuit vs Phil Spector remember us “don’t joke about royalties”!
It was on June 9, 1998 that the Ronettes finally started the long and hard path to legal success. In that day began their lawsuit vs. legendary producer Phil Spector.
In front of a judge in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York the Ronettes, whose Spector-helmed recorded such classics as “Be My Baby” and “Walking in the Rain”, asserted they had not received any payment for their work since the ’60s.
Phil Spector photo via www.biography.com
After that, the Ronettes sueded again Phil Spector for unpaid royalties, while he was in prison in California for the homicide of the American actress and fashion model Lana Clarkson.
“I worked very, very hard making those records in the ’60s. I just didn’t know I’d have to wait 37 years to get paid for my efforts”
Ronnie Spector said in a statement quoted by Reuters when, in 2010, Judge Paula Omansky ruled that Phil Spector used the Ronettes’ music in ways not authorized by his contract with the group, including licensing it for use on television, in movies and on compilation albums.
The verdict said that Phil Spector had to pay $2.6 million in back royalties and interest to the former members of the Ronettes, including lead singer and Spector’s ex-wife Ronnie Spector.
Photo of RONETTES; Veronica Bennett, Estelle Bennett and Nedra Talley – Group portrait (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns)
