Darlene Love | |
|---|---|
 Love at the 2013Montclair Film Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Darlene Wright (1941-07-26)July 26, 1941 (age 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Soul,R&B,jazz,pop,rock |
| Occupations | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Labels | Philles,OKeh,Warner-Spector |
Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941[a]), known professionally asDarlene Love, is an AmericanR&B andsoul singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl groupthe Blossoms and also a solo recording artist.
She began singing as a child with her local church choir. In 1962, she began recording with producerPhil Spector who renamed her Darlene Love. She sang lead on "He's a Rebel" and "He's Sure the Boy I Love", which were credited tothe Crystals. She was soon a highly sought-after vocalist and worked with manyrock andsoul musicians of the 1960s, includingSam Cooke,Dionne Warwick,Bill Medley,the Beach Boys,Elvis Presley,Tom Jones andSonny and Cher. As an actress, Love performed in various Broadway productions. She had a recurring role asRoger Murtaugh's wife in theLethal Weapon film series.
Love was invited annually byDavid Letterman to sing the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on his late night television talk show just prior to the Christmas holidays. These performances started in 1986 onNBC'sLate Night with David Letterman and continued onCBS'sLate Show with David Letterman until 2014; Letterman called Love the "Christmas Queen". Although Letterman has since retired, Love has continued the tradition in the years since.
Ranked amongRolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers, Love was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Love is featured in the Oscar-winning documentary film20 Feet from Stardom (2013), for which she won a Grammy Award.
Love was born Darlene Wright on July 26, 1941, inLos Angeles, to Ellen Maddox and Reverend Joe Wright.[1] Her younger sisterEdna Wright grew up to be the lead singer of the groupHoney Cone.[2] She grew up mostly in Los Angeles, but also spent a few years of her youth inTexas.[3]
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 localchurch choir at age ten inHawthorne, California. During choir practice she caught the attention of choir directorCora Martin-Moore. After singing for Martin-Moore she was asked to go to the Music Mart where she sang and did some broadcasts.[4] As it was her first musical experience, it was also the main influence for her to pursue a music career.[5]
While still in high school (1957) she sang with the Echoes,[6] a mixed gender doo-wop group. She was then invited to join a little-knowngirl group calledthe Blossoms.[7]
In 1962, the Blossoms were hired to sing on a session by producerPhil Spector.[8] His girl group,the Crystals, could not make it to Los Angeles in time for the session, so Wright was paid $5,000 to sing lead on "He's a Rebel".[8] This was Wright's first time on a Spector recording.[9] The single, credited to the Crystals, was hurriedly released by Spector onPhilles Records to get his version of theGene Pitney song onto the market before that ofVikki Carr.[10] 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.[11] The single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1962.[10]
Following the release of "He's a Rebel", Wright signed a deal with Spector, who renamed her Darlene Love.[8] She recorded "He's Sure the Boy I Love", which she thought would be released under her name, but Spector credited it to the Crystals.[8]Cynthia Weil, who co-wrote the song with her husbandBarry Mann, 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."[8] Spector had Love sing "Da Doo Ron Ron" in the studio, but he decided to record it with another singer at the last minute.[8]
Love recorded the track "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for the 1963 holiday compilation album,A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. The song was written byJeff Barry andEllie Greenwich, along with Phil Spector, with the intention of being sung byRonnie Spector ofthe Ronettes. 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",Shelley Fabares' "Johnny Angel",Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash",Frank Sinatra's version of "That's Life", and the Crystals' "Da Doo Ron Ron". The Blossoms recorded singles, usually with little success, onCapitol 1957–58 [pre-Darlene Love],Challenge 1961–62,OKeh 1963,Reprise 1966–67,Ode 1967,MGM 1968,Bell 1969–70, and Lion 1972.
As a solo artist, Love also contributed backing vocals to the Ronettes' "Baby, I Love You". She was also part of a trio calledBob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, who recorded Spector's version of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", an Oscar-winning song from the 1946Walt Disney filmSong of the South, which got into the Top 10 in 1963.
The Blossoms landed a weekly part onShindig!, one of the top music shows of the era. They also appeared onJohnny Rivers' hits, including "Poor Side of Town" "Baby I Need Your Loving" and "The Tracks of My Tears". The Blossoms were part of theElvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special, which aired onNBC. Love and the Blossoms sangbackup for Sharon Marie (Esparza) (aBrian Wilson act), as well asJohn Phillips' solo albumJohn, Wolfking of L.A., recorded in 1969.
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 acheerleader along withMichelle Phillips, for theCheech & Chong single "Basketball Jones", which peaked at No. 15 on theBillboard Hot 100 singleschart.[citation needed]
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 theRoxy in Los Angeles, and it was a conversation withSteven Van Zandt that greased the wheels for her to go to New York and begin performing there in 1982, at places likeThe Bottom Line. She also sang "OOO Wee Baby" in the 1980 movieThe 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.[12]
In the mid-1980s, she portrayed herself in theTony Award-nominatedjukebox musicalLeader of the Pack, which featured the rock and roll songs written byEllie Greenwich, many of them for the young Love. The showstopping number of that show, "River Deep - Mountain High", had been recorded by Phil Spector withIke & Tina Turner.Leader of the Pack commenced as a revue at theGreenwich 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 includedcovers 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, includingBarry Mann andCynthia Weil. Love contributed a cover ofthe Hollywood Argyles song "Alley Oop" to the soundtrack of the 1984 filmBachelor Party.
In 1986, Love's second chance came when she was asked to sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" onDavid Letterman's Christmas show, which became a yearly tradition.[12]
In 1987, Love sang backup forU2's remake of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)".
In 1988, Love released the albumPaint 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 invited Love and her sister Edna Wright as her background vocalists for theHeart of Stone Tour. Love released a minor single in 1992 with "All Alone on Christmas", written by Steven Van Zandt, which can be found on theHome Alone 2: Lost in New York soundtrack. The song was also included in the British filmLove Actually. Love also contributed vocals to the soundtrack of the filmJingle All the Way.
In 1993, Love sued Spector for unpaid royalties and was awarded $250,000.[8]
Love, alongside Rob Hoerburger, editor and writer for theNew York Times, wrote her autobiography titledMy Name Is Love, published in 1998.[1] In the memoir, Love writes about her life in the music industry, her years of struggle, and her present projects.[13]
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 releasedIt's Christmas of Course, an album of Christmas-themed cover versions including "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" byJohn Lennon andYoko Ono and "Thanks for Christmas" byXTC. Love performed withBruce Springsteen and theE-Street Band in November 2009 at theRock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert atMadison Square Garden.
Love was the musical guest onLate Show with David Letterman on May 7, 2007, performing "River Deep-Mountain High".
Love is featured in the documentary film20 Feet from Stardom (2013), which premiered at theSundance Film Festival and went on to win theOscar for Best Documentary at the86th Academy Awards.20 Feet from Stardom also won the 2015Grammy 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", withBette Midler on the latter's 2014 studio albumIt's the Girls!, a collection of songs paying tribute togirl groups.
In August 2014, theOprah Winfrey Network (OWN) announced their intention to develop a film based on Love's life, starring singerToni Braxton.[14] However, no further news has surfaced about this proposal.
Love's most recent album,Introducing Darlene Love, was released September 18, 2015, onSteve Van Zandt's label, Wicked Cool Records.[15] There are 10 songs on the album, including two new songs byBruce Springsteen, and covers ofJoan Jett andElvis Costello songs, among others.[15] In 2016, Love began touring her new album across the United States.
Love recorded her first solo video concert on February 23, 2010, at theNJPAC.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.[16]
In 2023, Love reunited with Cher to sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on Cher's albumChristmas.[17] She also performed the song in the 2025Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[18]
In the late 1980s and also in the 1990s, Love also began an acting career, playing Trish Murtaugh, the wife ofDanny Glover's character, in the fourLethal Weapon movies.[7]
Love has held many star roles in various Broadway productions. She acted and sang inGrease, in the short-lived musical adaptation ofStephen King'sCarrie, and starred as Motormouth Maybelle in Broadway'sHairspray from August 2005 till April 2008.[19] She later reprised the role in theHollywood Bowl production of the show in 2011.
In 2019, she appeared in theNetflix original movieHoliday Rush.[20]
In 2020, she appeared and sang in the Netflix original movieThe Christmas Chronicles 2.
Love performed the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on the last pre-Christmas episode ofLate Night with David Letterman (NBC) which aired December 10, 1986, and then annually (with the exception of 2007) onLate Show with David Letterman (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.[21] Letterman has stated that the annual performance is his favorite part of Christmas. She was dubbed by Letterman as the "Christmas Queen".[22] Love appeared in a reunion short with Letterman on hisYouTube channel in 2023, again performing the song.[23]
Due to the2007 Writers Guild of America strike, Love was unable to perform on the Letterman show in 2007;[24] a repeat of her 2006 performance was shown instead. From 2015 until 2023, Love performed the song annually on ABC'sThe View,[25] only skipping out the 2021 edition due to being exposed to a positiveCOVID-19 case resulting in aquarantine; a compilation of her previous performances was shown instead.[26] She has usually performed the song as a duet, being joined byPatti LaBelle in 2016,Fantasia in 2017, andBryan Adams in 2018. Love also performed "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" in season six, episode 10 of theFox television seriesNew Girl (2016).
Love was a special guest on the December 17, 2005, broadcast ofSaturday Night Live, singing "White Christmas" with theSNL band and providing the vocals for aRobert Smigel cartoon entitled "Christmastime for the Jews".
In November 2023, Love, in a duet withCher, performed "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" at theRockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.[27] Love also performed solo on "A Marshmallow World" at the event.[28]
Beginning in 2024, Love returned to late night television with the song, performing it onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon accompanied byLittle Steven and the Disciples of Soul andPaul Shaffer.[29][30]
Love has been married three times and has four children. She married Leonard Peete in 1959.[1] She had two sons with him: Marcus (b. 1961) and Chawn (b. 1964), and a daughter, Rosalynn, who died shortly after birth.[1] They divorced in 1968. She married Wesley Mitchell in 1971, had a son, Jason Davion (b. 1974), and later divorced.[1] Love married Alton Allison on June 28, 1984, inTeaneck, New Jersey, and they reside inRockland County, New York.[31][1]
In 1995, Love received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award.[4]
In 2008, Love was ranked No. 84 onRolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers list.[32]
On March 14, 2011, Love was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,[32][33] with a speech byBette Midler.[34][35] 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 Bruce Springsteen providing a guitar solo.[36]
In 2015, Love won her firstGrammy Award for Best Music Film for the documentary20 Feet From Stardom.[37]
In 2015, Love was featured in the September issue ofEntertainment Weekly. In the music section of the magazine, it introduced 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 inClermont, Florida on September 26, 2015.[38]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [39] | US R&B [40] | US Heat. [41] | ||
| Paint Another Picture | 1988 | — | — | — |
| Bringing It Home | 1992 | — | — | — |
| Unconditional Love | 1998 | — | — | — |
| It's Christmas of Course | 2007 | — | — | 29 |
| Introducing Darlene Love | 2015 | 134 | 3 | 2 |
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| The Best of Darlene Love | 1992 |
| So Much Love: A Darlene Love Anthology 1958–1998 | 2008 |
| The Sound of Love: The Very Best of Darlene Love | 2011 |
| The Many Sides of Love: The Complete Reprise Recordings Plus! | 2022 |
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Whole Hearted | 1983 |
| Darlene Love Live | 1985 |
| The Concert of Love | 2010 |
Incomplete list of recordings.
| Year | Title | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 [42] | US R&B [43] | CAN | UK | ||
| 1961 | "Son-In-Law" (The Blossoms)Challenge 9109(lead vocals by unknown session vocalist) | 79 | — | — | — |
| "Hard to Get" (The Blossoms)Challenge 9122 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1962 | "The Search Is Over" (The Blossoms)Challenge 9138 | — | — | — | — |
| "He's a Rebel" (released as the Crystals)Philles 106 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 19 | |
| "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (released as Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans)Philles 107(lead vocals byBobby Sheen) | 8 | 7 | — | 45 | |
| "He's Sure the Boy I Love" (released as the Crystals)Philles 109 | 11 | 18 | 17 | — | |
| 1963 | "Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts" (released as Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans)Philles 110 | 38 | — | — | — |
| "Today I Met the Boy I'm Gonna Marry" / "My Heart Beat a Little Bit Faster"Philles 111 | 39 | — | — | — | |
| "Not Too Young to Get Married" (released as Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans)Philles 113(joint lead vocals with Bobby Sheen) | 63 | — | — | — | |
| "Wait 'til My Bobby Gets Home" / "Take It from Me"Philles 114 | 26 | — | — | — | |
| "A Fine, Fine Boy"Philles 117 | 53 | 29 | — | — | |
| "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"Philles 119 | 14 | — | 36 | 20 | |
| 1964 | "Stumble and Fall" / "He's a Quiet Guy"Philles 123 | — | — | — | — |
| "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"Philles 125 | — | — | — | — | |
| "3625 Groovy Street" / "What Are We Gonna Do in '64" (The Wildcats)Reprise 0253(The Blossoms under a pseudonym; features unison lead vocals) | — | — | — | — | |
| 1965 | "Good Good Lovin'" / "That's When the Tears Start" (The Blossoms)Reprise 0436 | — | 45 | — | — |
| 1966 | "Lover Boy" / "My Love Come Home" (The Blossoms)Reprise 0475 | — | — | — | — |
| "Let Your Love Shine on Me" / "Deep Into My Heart" (The Blossoms)Reprise 0522 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Too Late to Say You're Sorry" / "If"Reprise 0534 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1967 | "Deep Into My Heart" / "Good Good Lovin'" (The Blossoms)Reprise 0639 | — | — | — | — |
| "Wonderful" b/w "Stoney End" (The Blossoms)Ode 101(B-side features joint lead vocals withJean King) | — | — | — | — | |
| 1968 | "Tweedlee Dee" (The Blossoms)MGM 13964 | — | — | — | — |
| "Cry Like a Baby" (The Blossoms)Ode 106 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1969 | "Stoney End" b/w "Wonderful" – reissued (The Blossoms)Ode 125(A-side features joint lead vocals withJean King) | — | — | — | — |
| "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" / "Something So Wrong" (The Blossoms)Bell 780 | — | — | — | — | |
| "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" / "Stand By" (The Blossoms)Bell 797 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1970 | "I Ain't Got to Love Nobody Else" / "Don't Take Your Love" (The Blossoms)Bell 857 | — | — | — | — |
| "One Step Away" / "Break Your Promise" (The Blossoms)Bell 937 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1972 | "Touchdown" (The Blossoms)Lion 108 | — | — | — | — |
| "Grandma's Hands" (The Blossoms)Lion 125 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1974 | "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" / "Winter Wonderland"Warner-Spector Records 0401 | 14 / 40 | — | — | — |
| 1975 | "Lord, If You're a Woman" / "Stumble and Fall"Warner-Spector Records 0410 | — | — | — | — |
| 1977 | "There's No Greater Love" (The Blossoms)Epic 50435 | — | — | — | — |
| 1988 | "He's Sure the Man I Love" / "I've Never Been the Same" / "Everybody Needs"Columbia 07984 | — | — | — | — |
| 1992 | "All Alone on Christmas" (used in the filmHome Alone 2: Lost in New York) Fox 10003 | 83 | — | — | 31 |
| 2005 | "Christmastime for the Jews" (fromSaturday Night Live) | — | — | — | — |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Change of Habit | Backup Singer | Uncredited |
| 1969 | The Love God? | Singer with the Blossoms | Uncredited |
| 1987 | Lethal Weapon | Trish Murtaugh | |
| 1989 | Lethal Weapon 2 | Trish Murtaugh | |
| 1992 | Lethal Weapon 3 | Trish Murtaugh | |
| 1993 | Another World | Judy Burrell | July 20, 1993 - September 21, 1993 |
| 1998 | Lethal Weapon 4 | Trish Murtaugh | |
| 2013 | 20 Feet from Stardom | Herself | Documentary |
| 2016 | New Girl | Herself | |
| 2019 | Holiday Rush | Aunt Jo Robinson | |
| 2020 | The Christmas Chronicles 2 | Grace | |
| 2024 | Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple | Herself | Documentary |
| Year | Production | Role | Theatre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Leader of the Pack | Herself | Ambassador Theatre, Broadway |
| 1988 | Carrie | Miss Gardner | Royal Shakespeare Theatre(tryout) |
| Virginia Theatre, Broadway | |||
| 1997 | Grease | Teen Angel | Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway |
| 2005-08 | Hairspray | Motormouth Maybelle | Neil Simon Theatre, Broadway |
a.^ Some sources say 1938; seetalk page discussion.
