Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

the Blossoms The Blossoms are an American girl group that originated from California. During their height of success in the 1960s, the group's lineup most famously consisted of Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King. Although the group had a recording ...

and she also recorded as a solo artist. She began singing as a child with her local church choir. In 1962, she began recording with producer

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

who renamed her Darlene Love. She sang lead on " He's a Rebel" and "

He's Sure the Boy I Love "He's Sure the Boy I Love" is a 1962 single by The Crystals. The song was originally recorded by The Blossoms but credited to The Crystals. On the '' Billboard'' charts in 1963, "He's Sure the Boy I Love" peaked at #11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

," which were credited to

the Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including " There's No Other (Like My Baby)", ...

. She was soon a highly sought-after

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and worked with many

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

legends of 1960s, including

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

Bill Medley William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers. He is noted for his bass-baritone voice, exemplified in songs such as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". Med ...

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, Tom Jones and

Sonny and Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

. As an actress, Love performed in various Broadway productions. She had a recurring role as

Roger Murtaugh Roger Murtaugh () is a fictional character in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series created by Shane Black. Murtaugh was originally played by actor Danny Glover in all four films from 1987 to 1998, and later by Damon Wayans in the Fox television ser ...

's wife in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. Love was invited annually by

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

to sing her song "

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is a pop song originally sung by Darlene Love and included on the 1963 seasonal compilation album, ''A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector''. The song was written by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, and Phil S ...

" on the television show ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

'' for the Christmas holidays. Letterman called Love the "Christmas Queen". Ranked among ''Rolling Stone'''s 100 Greatest Singers, Love was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

in 2011. Love is featured in the Oscar-winning documentary film '' 20 Feet from Stardom'' (2013), for which she won a Grammy Award.

Early life

Love was born Darlene Wright on July 26, 1941, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, to Ellen Maddox and Reverend Joe Wright. Her younger sister

Edna Wright Edna Wright (February 2, 1945 – September 12, 2020) was an American singer, best known as the lead singer of Honey Cone, the girl group that went to No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with the song "Want Ads" in 1971. She was the younger sister ...

grew up to be the lead singer of the group

Honey Cone Honey Cone was an American R&B and soul girl group formed by lead singer Edna Wright (sister of Darlene Love) with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark in 1968. They are best remembered for their number-one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single, "Want Ads" ...

. She grew up mostly in Los Angeles, but also spent a few years of her youth in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. As a minister's daughter, she grew up listening to gospel music and was a dedicated member of her church. Wright began singing with her local

church choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

at age ten in

Hawthorne, California Hawthorne is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city region commonly called the South Bay. As of the 2020 US census, Hawthorne had a population of 88,0 ...

. During choir practice she caught the attention of choir director

Cora Martin-Moore Cora Juanita Brewer Martin-Moore (1927–2005) was a gospel singer. She was a soloist in the Sallie Martin Singers and the director of the Echoes of Eden Choir. She also had her own music publishing company. Biography Martin-Moore was born in C ...

. After singing for Martin-Moore she was asked to go to the Music Mart where she sang and did some broadcasts. As it was her first musical experience, it was also the main influence for her to pursue a music career.

Music career

Early career

While still in

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

(1957) she sang with the Echoes, a mixed sex doo-wop group. She was then invited to join a little-known

called

. In 1962, the Blossoms were hired to sing on a session by producer

. His girl group,

, couldn't make it to Los Angeles in time for the session, so Wright was paid $5,000 to sing lead on " He's a Rebel." This was Wright's first time on a Spector recording. The single, credited to the Crystals, was hurriedly released by Spector on

Philles Records Philles Records was an American record label formed in 1961 by Phil Spector and Lester Sill, the label taking its name from a hybrid of their first names. Initially, the label was distributed by Jamie/Guyden in Philadelphia. In 1962, Spector pur ...

to get his version of the

Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, inclu ...

song onto the market before that of

Vikki Carr Florencia Vicenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona (born July 19, 1940), known by her stage name Vikki Carr, is an American vocalist. She has a singing career that spans more than four decades. Born in El Paso, Texas, to Mexican parents, she has pe ...

. The ghost release of this single came as a total surprise to the Crystals who were an experienced and much traveled girl harmony group in their own right, but they were nevertheless required to perform and promote the new single on television and on tour as if it were their own. The single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1962. Following the release of "He's a Rebel," Wright signed a deal with Spector, who renamed her Darlene Love. She recorded "

," which she thought would be released under her name, but Spector credited it to the Crystals.

Cynthia Weil Cynthia Weil (born October 18, 1940) is an American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann. Life and career Weil was born in New York City, and was raised in a Conservative Jewish family. Her father was Morris Wei ...

, who co-wrote the song with her husband

Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early li ...

was unaware that Love had sung on the track: "It all came out later. I think it was a terrible thing to do to her." Spector had Love sing "

Da Doo Ron Ron "Da Doo Ron Ron" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. It first became a popular top five hit single for the American girl group The Crystals in 1963. American teen idol Shaun Cassidy covered the song in 1977 and ...

" in the studio, but he decided to record it with another singer at the last minute. Love recorded the track "

" for the 1963 holiday compilation album, ''

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector ''A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector'' (originally released as ''A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records'') is an LP album, album of Christmas songs, produced by Phil Spector, and originally released as Philles Records, Philles 4005 ...

''. The song was written by

Jeff Barry Jeff Barry (born Joel Adelberg; April 3, 1938) is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer. Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are " Do Wah Diddy Diddy", " Da Doo Ron Ron", " Then He Kiss ...

and

Ellie Greenwich Eleanor Louise Greenwich (October 23, 1940 – August 26, 2009) was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Be My Baby", "Maybe I Know", " Then He Kissed Me", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" ...

, along with Phil Spector, with the intention of being sung by

Ronnie Spector Veronica Yvette Greenfield (; August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022) was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group The Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original "bad girl of rock and roll". Ronnie formed the ...

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

. According to Love, Ronnie Spector was not able to put as much emotion into the song as needed. Instead, Love was brought into the studio to record the song, which became a large success over time and Love's signature tune. As a member of the Blossoms, Love contributed backing vocals behind many of the biggest hits of the 1960s including the Ronettes' "

Be My Baby "Be My Baby" is a song by American girl group the Ronettes that was released as a single on Philles Records in August 1963. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the Ronettes' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in ...

Shelley Fabares Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (; born January 19, 1944) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom ''The Donna Reed Show'' (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitcom ...

' "

Johnny Angel ''Johnny Angel'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Steve Fisher (adapted by Frank Gruber) from the 1944 novel ''Mr. Angel Comes Aboard'' by Charles Gordon Booth. The movie stars George Raft, Claire Trevor a ...

Bobby "Boris" Pickett Robert George Pickett (February 11, 1938 – April 25, 2007), known also by the name Bobby "Boris" Pickett, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, and comedian known for co-writing and performing the 1962 hit novelty song "Monster Mash". B ...

's "

Monster Mash "Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called '' The Original Monster Mash'', which contained sev ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

's version of " That's Life", and the Crystals' "

". The Blossoms recorded singles, usually with little success, on

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

1957-58 re-Darlene Love Challenge 1961-62,

OKeh Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

1963,

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repea ...

1966-67,

Ode An ode (from grc, ᾠδή, ōdḗ) is a type of lyric poetry. Odes are elaborately structured poems praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally. A classic ode is structured in three majo ...

1967,

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

1968,

Bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

1969-70, and Lion 1972.) As a solo artist, Love also contributed backing vocals to the Ronettes' "

Baby, I Love You "Baby, I Love You" is a song originally recorded by the Ronettes in 1963 and released on their debut album '' Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes'' (1964). The song was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, and produced by Spec ...

". She was also part of a trio called Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, who recorded Spector's version of "

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song composed by Allie Wrubel with lyrics by Ray Gilbert for the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie '' Song of the South'', sung by James Baskett. For "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", the film won the Academy Award for Best ...

", an Oscar-winning song from the 1946

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

film ''

Song of the South ''Song of the South'' is a 1946 American Live-action animated film, live-action/animated musical film, musical drama film directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson; produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. ...

'', which got into the Top 10 in 1963. The Blossoms landed a weekly part on ''

Shindig! ''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles,Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

' hits, including "

Poor Side of Town "Poor Side of Town" is a song by Johnny Rivers that reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the ''RPM'' Canadian Chart in November 1966. The song marked a turning point in Rivers' career that saw him move away from his earlier r ...

" "

Baby I Need Your Loving "Baby I Need Your Loving" is a 1964 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was the group's first Motown single and their first pop Top ...

" and "

The Tracks of My Tears "The Tracks of My Tears" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. It is a multiple award-winning 1965 hit R&B song originally recorded by their group, The Miracles, on Motown's Tamla label. The Miracles' million-sell ...

". The Blossoms were part of the highly acclaimed ''

Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special ''Singer Presents ... Elvis'', commonly referred to as the 68 Comeback Special'', is an Elvis Presley concert special that aired on NBC on December 3, 1968. It marked Presley's return to live performance after a seven-year period durin ...

'', which aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

. Love and the Blossoms sang

backup In information technology, a backup, or data backup is a copy of computer data taken and stored elsewhere so that it may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form, referring to the process of doing so, is "back up", w ...

for Sharon Marie (Esparza) (a

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

act), as well as John Phillips' solo album ''John, Wolfking of L.A.'', recorded in 1969. DarleneLove02

Into the 1970s Love continued to work as a backup singer, before taking a break in order to raise a family. In 1973, she recorded vocals as a

cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

along with

Michelle Phillips Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish wi ...

, for the

Cheech & Chong Cheech & Chong are a comedy duo consisting of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. The duo found commercial and cultural success in the 1970s and 1980s with their stand-up routines, studio recordings, and feature films, which were based on the hippie a ...

single " Basketball Jones", which peaked at No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

1980s return

Love returned to music in the early 1980s and to an appreciative audience she thought might have long since forgotten her. She had been performing at venues like the Roxy in Los Angeles, and it was a conversation with

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin ...

that greased the wheels for her to go to New York and begin performing there in 1982, at places like The Bottom Line. She also sang "OOO Wee Baby" in the 1980 movie '' The Idolmaker''. Along with performing in small venues, Love worked as a maid in Beverly Hills. One day while she was cleaning one of these homes, she heard her song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on the radio. She took this as a sign that she needed to change her life and go back to singing. In the mid-1980s she portrayed herself in the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

-nominated

jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs perf ...

Leader of the Pack "Leader of the Pack" is a song written by George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich. It was a number one pop hit in 1964 for the American girl group the Shangri-Las. The single is one of the group's best known songs as well as ...

'', which featured the iconic rock and roll songs written by

, many of them for the young Love. The showstopping number of that show, "

River Deep - Mountain High A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

", had been recorded by Phil Spector with

Ike Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

. ''Leader of the Pack'' commenced as a revue at the

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

nightclub The Bottom Line, as did the later show about Love's life, ''Portrait of a Singer'', which never made the move uptown. ''Portrait'' included covers of " A Change Is Gonna Come" and "Don't Make Me Over", as well as "River Deep, Mountain High" and original music from some of the instrumental writers of early rock and roll, including

and

. Love contributed a cover of

the Hollywood Argyles The Hollywood Argyles were an American musical ensemble, assembled for studio recordings by the producer and songwriter Kim Fowley and his friend and fellow musician Gary S. Paxton. They had a US number one hit record, " Alley Oop" (Lute Records ...

song "

Alley Oop ''Alley Oop'' is a syndicated comic strip created December 5, 1932, by American cartoonist V. T. Hamlin, who wrote and drew the strip through four decades for Newspaper Enterprise Association. Hamlin introduced a cast of colorful characters an ...

" to the soundtrack of the 1984 film ''

Bachelor Party A bachelor party (in the United States and sometimes in Canada), also known as a stag weekend, stag do or stag party (in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth countries, and Ireland), or a buck's night (in Australia), is a party held/arranged by th ...

''. In 1986, Love's second chance came when she was asked to sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on

's Christmas show, which became a yearly tradition. In 1987, Love sang backup for U2's remake of "

Later career

In 1988, Love released the album ''Paint Another Picture'', which included an update of her old hit "He's Sure the Man I Love", by Mann and Weill, as well as a ballad written especially for her, "I've Never Been the Same," by Judy Wieder. The album did not make the US charts. In 1990,

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

invited Love and her sister Edna Wright as her background vocalists for the

Heart of Stone Tour The Heart of Stone Tour was the second solo concert tour by American singer-actress Cher. The tour supported her nineteenth studio album, '' Heart of Stone''. A mini tour was set up in the summer 1989, and a second leg started in 1990. The tour ...

. Love released a minor single in 1992 with " All Alone on Christmas", written and composed by Steven Van Zandt, which can be found on the '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' soundtrack. The song was also included in the British film ''

Love Actually ''Love Actually'' is a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. It features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous film and television proje ...

''. Love also contributed vocals to the soundtrack of the film ''

Jingle All the Way ''Jingle All the Way'' is a 1996 American Christmas family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad as two rival fathers, mattress salesman Howard Langston (Schwarzenegger) and postal worker Myron Larab ...

''. In 1993, Love sued Spector for unpaid royalties and was awarded $250,000. Love alongside Rob Hoerburger, editor and writer for the ''New York Times'' wrote her autobiography titled ''My Name Is Love'', published in 1998. In the memoir, Love writes about her life in the music industry, her years of struggle, and her present projects. Love continues to do a Christmas show every year in New York City, which is always capped by "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". In 2007, she released ''It's Christmas of Course'', an album of Christmas-themed cover versions including "

Happy Xmas (War is Over) "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a Christmas song released in 1971 as a single by John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir. It was the seventh single release by John Lennon outside his work with the Beatles. The song reach ...

" by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

and " Thanks for Christmas" by

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...

. Love performed with

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

and the

E-Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing car ...

in November 2009 at the

25th Anniversary Concert at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

. Love was the musical guest on ''Late Show with David Letterman'' on May 7, 2007, performing "

River Deep-Mountain High A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

." Love is featured in the documentary film '' 20 Feet from Stardom'' (2013), which premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

and went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary at the

86th Academy Awards The 86th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2013 and took place on March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. ...

. ''20 Feet from Stardom'' also won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Music Film, with the award being presented to the featured artists as well as the production crew. Love recorded a duet, "He's Sure the Boy I Love", with Bette Midler on the latter's 2014 studio album ''It's the Girls!'', a collection of songs paying tribute to

s. In August 2014, the Oprah Winfrey Network (U.S. TV channel), Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) announced their intention to develop a film based on Love's life, starring singer Toni Braxton. However, no further news has surfaced about this proposal. Love's most recent album ''Introducing Darlene Love'' was released September 18, 2015 on Steve Van Zandt's label, Wicked Cool Records. There are 10 songs on the album, including two new songs by

, and covers of Joan Jett and Elvis Costello songs, among others. In 2016, Love began touring her new album across the United States. Love recorded her first solo video concert on February 23, 2010, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, NJPAC. ''Darlene Love - The Concert of Love'' was released as a CD and DVD later that year. The concert was also broadcast on select public television stations.

Acting career

In the late 1980s and also in the 1990s, Love also began an acting career, playing Trish Murtaugh, the wife of Danny Glover's character, in the four ''Lethal Weapon (film series), Lethal Weapon'' movies. Love has held many star roles in various Broadway productions. She acted and sang in ''Grease (musical), Grease'', in the short-lived musical adaptation of Stephen King's ''Carrie (musical), Carrie'', and starred as Motormouth Maybelle in Broadway's ''Hairspray (musical), Hairspray'' from August 2005 till April 2008. She later reprised the role in the Hollywood Bowl production of the show in 2011. In 2019, she appeared in the Netflix original movie ''Holiday Rush''. In 2020, she appeared and sang in the Netflix original movie ''The Christmas Chronicles 2''.

Christmas television performances

Love performed the song "

" on the last pre-Christmas episode of ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (

) which aired December 10, 1986 and then annually (with the exception of 2007) on ''

'' (CBS) beginning with (air date) December 23, 1994. Her final Christmas appearance was on December 19, 2014, nine days after the official announcement that the show's finale would be in May 2015. Letterman has stated that the annual performance is his favorite part of Christmas. She was dubbed by Letterman as the "Christmas Queen". Due to the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike, Love was unable to perform on the Letterman show in 2007; a repeat of her 2006 performance was shown instead. Since 2015, Love has performed the song annually on ABC's ''The View (talk show), The View''. She has usually performed the song as a duet, being joined by Patti LaBelle in 2016, Fantasia Barrino, Fantasia in 2017, and Bryan Adams in 2018. Love also performed "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" in season six, episode 10 of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television series ''New Girl'' (2016). Love was a special guest on the December 17, 2005, broadcast of ''Saturday Night Live'', singing "White Christmas (song), White Christmas" with the ''SNL'' band and providing the vocals for a Robert Smigel cartoon entitled "Christmastime for the Jews."

Awards and accomplishments

In 1995, Love received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. In 2008, Love was ranked No. 84 on ''Rolling Stone'''s 100 Greatest Singers list. On December 15, 2010, it was announced that Love had been chosen for induction into the

. On March 14, 2011, Love was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with a speech by Bette Midler. Midler said "she changed my view of the world, listening to those songs, you had to dance, you had to move, you had to keep looking for the rebel boy." Near tears, Love noted that she would turn 70 later that year, and thanked Spector "for recognizing my talent and making me the main voice in his Wall of Sound." Her speech elicited a standing ovation. Later, she sang "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" with Springsteen providing a guitar solo. In 2015, Love won her first Grammy Award for Best Music Film for the documentary ''20 Feet From Stardom''. In 2015, Love was featured in the September issue of ''Entertainment Weekly''. In the music section of the magazine, it introduces Love's five decades of musical accomplishments such as different solos and albums. Love provided the inaugural performance to christen the opening of the Clermont Performing Arts Center in Clermont, Florida on September 26, 2015.

Discography

Solo albums

Compilations

Live albums

Other appearances

*1963: ''Today's Hits'' (Philles Records 4004) *1963: ''

'' (Philles Records 4005) *1977: ''Phil Spector's Greatest Hits'' (Warner/Spector Records 9104) *1978: ''Lakeshore Music presents Rock and Roll Forever'' (Warner Special Products #2508) (same as above release) *1985: ''Leader of the Pack'' Original Broadway Cast (Elektra Records 60420) *1990: ''Dick Tracy: Music from and inspired by the film'' (Sire/Warner Bros. Records 26236) *1991: ''Back to Mono (1958–1969)'' (ABKCO Records 7118) (boxed set) *1992: ''A Very Special Christmas 2'' (A&M/PolyGram Records 450 003) *1998: ''Grease Is the Word'' (Rhino/Atlantic Records)

Singles

Incomplete list of recordings.

Filmography

Notes

a. Some sources say 1938; see Talk:Darlene Love#Birth Date, talk page discussion

References

External links

* * * * * *
History of Rock and Roll: Darlene Love

Darlene Love Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Love, Darlene 1941 births Living people Grammy Award winners 20th-century African-American women singers American contraltos American women pop singers American rhythm and blues singers Philles Records artists Musicians from Hawthorne, California Singers from California 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses African-American actresses Actresses from Greater Los Angeles