A New York judge ordered "wall of sound" producer Phil Spector to pay $2.6 million to his former wife Ronnie Spector and the other two band members of pioneering girl group the Ronettes. Ronnie Spector, her sister Estelle Bennett Dong and their cousin Nedra Talley Ross, sued Spector thirteen yeas ago, claiming that they were cheated by Spector, who exploited their talent while refusing to pay them any royalties on their own music. On Friday, Justice Paula Omansky of State Supreme Court in Manhattan found that Phil Spector, who kept the rights to all the Ronettes records, made millions of dollars from them despite the fact that he was not authorized to do so by his 1963 contract signed with the band. Omansky ruled that Spector's contract with the Ronettes only covered royalties on the sale of records, yet he had sold their recordings to movies, advertising, as well as licensing their master recordings without permission to third parties, for "oldies" compilations, and now he had to recompense them for it. However, the judge denied the Ronettes' request to transfer ownership of the catalog from Phil Spector to the group.

Phil Spector's lawyer Andrew Bart argued that Ronnie had signed away her rights to the group's earnings in her 1974 divorce settlement with Phil -- and claimed that the other group members were not on the recordings. But the judge did not agree, and ordered the producer to pay up. Bart told the press that Phil Spector plans to appeal the decision.

"Does this change all the obstacles and restrictions that the defendants put in front of me that have damaged my career, such as not being able to perform my songs on TV, being blackballed from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? No, it doesn't, but it's a step forward," said Ronnie Spector. "I'm glad it's finally over. Maybe now I can get back to doing what I love -- making records and performing."

Ronnie Spector plans to enter a New York studio with Joey Ramone and Daniel Rey early next month to begin recording her follow-up to last year's She Talks to Rainbows.

JAAN UHELSZKI
(June 20, 2000)