Nedra Talley Ross, a founding member of the 1960s girl group The Ronettes, died on April 26th at the age of 80.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Nedra Talley Ross’ passing,” a post on The Ronettes’ Facebook page read. “She was a light to those who knew and loved her.
“As a founding member of The Ronettes, along with her beloved cousins Ronnie and Estelle, Nedra’s voice, style and spirit helped define a sound that would change music. Her contribution to the group’s story and their defining influence will live forever,” the statement continued.
Ross was the last surviving member of the group’s founders. She died in Virginia Beach, where she had spent most of her post-pop stardom.
Lending her voice to hits like “Be My Baby,” “Baby, I Love You,” and “Walking in the Rain,” Ross helped define the 1960s pop music landscape. The Ronettes also recorded ubiquitous versions of Christmas classics such as “Sleigh Ride” and “Frosty the Snowman,” scoring nine Billboard Hot 100 hits in an existence that spanned barely 10 years.
Growing up in upper Manhattan around Harlem and Washington Heights, Ross began singing with her cousins, Ronnie and Estelle, in the 1950s. The trio and a couple of other family members made a debut at Harlem’s famous Apollo Theatre in the latter part of the decade.
The group struggled to find success in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Frustrated after years of failing to catch on, the trio auditioned for producer and label head Phil Spector, who found in them the voices for his “Wall of Sound” production style.
From 1963 to 1966, The Ronettes landed multiple singles on the Hot 100 and toured the UK with The Rolling Stones opening for them. The Ronettes opened for the Beatles during their US tour in 1966.
Ross sang lead vocals for the group during the tour after Ronnie was forced to stay at home because of the increasingly controlling and erratic behavior of Phil Spector, with whom she was in a relationship and would later marry.
In 1967, Ross left The Ronettes, and the group disbanded not long after. She briefly recorded Christian music in the 1970s. Ross and her cousins were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as The Ronettes in 2007.
The Rolling Stones‘ Keith Richards inducted The Ronettes, saying when he first heard them, “They touched my heart right there and then, and they touch it still.”
Ross spoke during the introduction and thanked her “Lord and savior,” her husband, her four children, and “every fan that kept us in their hearts.”
“Down the road, a hundred years from now, they’re going to remember us,” Ross said.
Following Billboard’s decision to count song streams towards its rankings, The Ronettes unexpectedly hit the charts again in 2022 with the Christmas time go-to “Sleigh Ride.”
Ross’ passing comes after Estelle Bennett died of colon cancer at the age of 67 in 2009. Ronnie Spector passed away after a brief battle with cancer at 78 in January 2022.
