Ronnie Spector’s NJ memories of Bruce, Billy, Southside, Lennon

She had a little girl voice that when a little boy heard it, he would do anything to "Be Her Baby" and go "Walking in the Rain" and I was lucky enough to have her on my show and bring her on stage.

Ronnie Spector passed away Jan. 12 from cancer at the age of 78.

I get chills when I hear the intro to "Baby I Love You." I, like many, grew up a huge fan of Ronnie. She embodied the sound of the Union City that I grew up in. Fortunately, I was able to have her on my show a few times and bring her onstage at both the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park and Count Basie in Red Bank.  We talked about her best memories of New Jersey.

Stone Pony

"Sitting at the bar at the Stone Pony. I had so much fun there and I was just getting back into rock n roll and Stone Pony, I love that place it was nothing but rock n roll. Springsteen was there, Billy Joel was there, and they were all looking at me and I said don't look at me I'm just a girl."

Bruce Springtsteen

We also talked about how she met Bruce Springsteen through John Lennon.

"I'm walking down the street in New York City, and I hear 'Hey Ronnie, Ronnie Ronette!' It was John Lennon and I told him, 'John, I've got to make another record.'

Lennon was with Jimmy Lovine and they told Ronnie to go to the Record Plant.

'It was at Record Plant that I met Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Record Plant and the rest is history."

Spector would go on to perform with Bruce at the Palladium in 1976.

"Being with Bruce and the guys was so much fun, cause it got me back into the world of music on stage which is my passion, and it got me back into doing what I love," she said.

Ronnie hadn't performed for seven or eight years before that time. She also performed last December at Sting's Biennial Rainforest Show at Carnegie Hall.

"There I am with Springsteen again on stage rocking it out," she recalled.

Spector talked about how the rock n roll ties that bind.

"I hadn't seen Bruce in like 15 years and when I saw him it was like yesterday, that's how we rock n rollers are, same thing with John Lennon"

Now what we're left with are some great "yesterdays" from Ronnie Spector. RIP

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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