Portraits of Veronica Bennett (Later Known as Ronnie Spector) at 18 Years Old in 1961

Photos of Ronnie Spector in the cafeteria during lunchtime at George Washington High School in Washington Heights, NYC, circa 1961. The photographs were captured by Winston Vargas, a prolific photographer and Spector’s classmate at George Washington High School.

As the lead singer of the Ronettes, Ronnie Spector (1943–2022) found fame while fronting one of the most popular groups of the 1960s. Veronica “Ronnie” Bennett was still in high school in New York City when she recruited her older sister and cousin to form a singing trio known initially as Ronnie and the Relatives. After the underage girls bluffed their way into a long-running gig at the Peppermint Lounge in 1961, they christened themselves the Ronettes.

Success proved elusive until 1963, when an audition with producer Phil Spector led to a record contract and their first hit single, “Be My Baby.” In 1965, the Ronettes’ recording of “Walking in the Rain” claimed a Grammy nomination, and, in 1966, they opened for the Beatles during the Fab Four’s final U.S. tour. Ronnie Spector’s singing career skidded to a halt during her marriage (1968–74) to the abusive Phil Spector, resuming only after their divorce.