The Ghost of Ronnie Spector

Abstract Chapter 25 of Within You Without You, “The Ghost of Ronnie Spector,” closely examines George Harrison’s interactions with Ronnie Spector, the one-time queen of girl-group pop music and wife of producer Phil Spector. Harrison and the rest of the Beatles first met Ronnie Spector when her group, the Ronettes, toured the United Kingdom in early 1964. Ronnie Spector re-entered Harrison’s world when he had Phil Spector produce his debut album, All Things Must Pass. Harrison began a collaboration with Phil Spector to produce what was intended to be a comeback album for Ronnie Spector, who had been out of the public eye since the Ronettes broke up in 1967. Harrison provided several songs for Spector, including “Try Some, Buy Some” and “You,” both of which Harrison himself would adapt for his own use a few years hence.