Nedra Talley (born January 27, 1946), now known as Nedra Talley-Ross, is an American singer. She is best known as a former member of the

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

the Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of the lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Ta ...

, in which she performed with her cousins Ronnie and Estelle Bennett. Since Ronnie's death in 2022, Talley is the last surviving original member of the group.

Career

In 1967, Talley and Estelle Bennett left the Ronettes, a decade after the group's formation. The split was reportedly due in part to interference from the group's producer

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

, who later married Ronnie Bennett. Talley said that when she met Scott Ross, her future husband, she became a born-again Christian. Talley also decided to leave the Ronettes because she felt there was little place for Christian-inspired music. In 1977, Talley recorded several Christian songs written by her church's music director, Ted Sandquist. These were released on the album ''The Courts of the King: The Worship Music of Ted Sandquist''. One of the cuts, a medley, "Love of My Lord" / "Redwood Tree" was released as a 45 promo single. Guitarist

Phil Keaggy Philip Tyler Keaggy (born March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. H ...

played on at least two of the album cuts with her. For its 30th anniversary, this album was finally released on CD. In 1978, Talley recorded ''Full Circle'', a solo

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...

album, on which Keaggy once again musically backed her. Keaggy wrote the title track and released his own version of it on his 1981 album ''Town To Town''. The album was produced by Talley's husband, Ross. The album's inner sleeve featured Talley's bio (and salvation story), but also a photo taken in the mid-'60s aboard a plane with Talley and fellow Ronette, Estelle Bennett, sharing seats with

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...

, who were great fans of the Ronettes. The album has to date, never been re-released. A four-disc set,

Roger McGuinn James Roger McGuinn (; born James Joseph McGuinn III; July 13, 1942) is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 as a member of the band. As a so ...

's ''The Folk Den Project (1995–2005)'', featured the old folk song, "Follow the Drinking Gourd", as sung by McGuinn with Talley providing the sole but prominent background vocal. In 2007, the Ronettes were inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

Personal life

Talley is of Black, Native American, Irish, and Puerto Rican descent. Her husband was Scott Ross (1939–2023), a former DJ turned interviewer for ''

The 700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, p ...

'' on the

Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is an American Christian media production and distribution organization. Founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson, it produces the long-running TV series ''The 700 Club'', co-produces the ongoing ''Superbook (198 ...

. They have four children. As of 2007, she was a businesswoman working in real estate. She lives in

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talley, Nedra 1946 births Living people 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century African-American women singers Singers from New York City American musicians of Puerto Rican descent The Ronettes members Native American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers

Career

Personal life

See also

References