How the Amazing Ronnie Spector Saved the E Street Band

Springsteen fans owe her a debt of gratitude

Image: Music and Musicians Magazine

When iconic Ronettes lead singer Ronnie Spector died last month, tributes poured out from all corners of the music world, and deservedly so. Far beyond the Ronettes’ classic “Be My Baby,” Spector’s distinctive voice showed up throughout the decades on both her own solo work and in collaboration with other artists, most notably the 1986 Eddie Money hit “Take Me Home Tonight.” One little-known collaboration, however, may have had a bigger impact than she or anyone else could have imagined: she may have single-handedly saved Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band as we know it.

First, a little background. Springsteen’s first two albums were produced by his first manager, Mike Appel. For his third album, Born to Run, he brought in future manager Jon Landau to co-produce with Appel, and the improvement in production quality was immediately evident anyone with ears. At about the same time, Springsteen discovered how bad the contract he had signed with Appel on the hood of a car truly was: for example, Bruce would earn $0.18 for every record he sold while Appel’s royalty was $0.40 per record.

In July 1976, he filed suit against Appel to end the contract, and Appel countersued to keep Springsteen from recording a new album with Landau. The…