Darlene Love
| Darlene Love | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Darlene Wright |
| Born |
July 26, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, pop, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Labels | Challenge, Philles, OKeh, Reprise, Ode, MGM, Bell, Lion |
| Associated acts | The Blossoms, Tom Jones, the Ronettes, the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Johnny Rivers, Sonny and Cher |
Darlene Love (Darlene Wright; born July 26, 1941) is an American popular music singer and actress. She gained prominence in the 1960s for the song "He's a Rebel," a No. 1 American single in 1962, and was one of the artists who performed on the celebrated Christmas album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector, produced by Phil Spector in 1963. She is ranked number 84 among Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers.
As a minister's daughter, she grew up listening to gospel music and was a dedicated member of her church in San Antonio, Texas. She began singing in her church choir at age ten. During choir practice she caught the attention of choir director Cora Martin. After singing for Martin she was asked to go to the Music Mart where she sang and did some broadcasts; Love's career began there. As it was her first musical experience, it was also the main influence for her to pursue a music career. Those who knew her described her vocals as "a voice of a nightingale." She claimed, "(singing in) the choir was a big influence on my life. I call it my learning ground. Singing in the choir, I learned harmony."
As an actress, she is perhaps best remembered for playing officer Roger Murtaugh's (Danny Glover) wife in the Lethal Weapon film series.
She was born on July 26, 1941 in Los Angeles, California as Darlene Wright to Ellen Maddox and Reverend Joe Wright. Her sister Edna grew up to be the lead singer of the group Honey Cone.
Love began singing with her local church choir in Hawthorne, California. While still in high school (1957) she was invited to join a little-known girl group called the Blossoms, who in 1962 began working with producer Phil Spector. With her powerful voice she was soon a highly sought-after vocalist, and managed to work with many of the legends of 1950s and 1960s rock and soul, including Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, Bill Medley, the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones and Sonny and Cher; Darlene and the Blossoms sang backup for Sharon Marie (Esparza) (a Brian Wilson act), as well as John Phillips' solo album John, Wolfking of L.A., recorded in 1969. They also appeared on Johnny Rivers' hits, including "Poor Side of Town" "Baby I Need Your Loving" and "The Tracks of My Tears". (The Blossoms recorded singles, usually with little success, on Capitol 1957-58 [pre-Darlene Love], Challenge 1961-62, OKeh 1963, Reprise 1966-67, Ode 1967, MGM 1968, Bell 1969-70, and Lion 1972.)
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