Darlene Love on Tour
A singer of some of the biggest hits in the history of American popular music, Darlene Love can now claim to have a name that's as familiar as her voice. Her appearance in the Oscar-winning 2013 documentary 20 Feet From Stardom helped launch an extraordinary new phase in her five-decade career. Since the late 1950s, she has sung lead on hits such as the Crystals' "He's a Rebel" and "He's Sure the Boy I Love" and backup on classics like the Ronettes' "Baby, I Love You." Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys and Sam Cooke were just a few of the artists who benefited greatly from her power and versatility as a vocalist. Through the ‘80s and ‘90s, famous fans like Steven Van Zandt, Bette Midler and David Letterman would give Love more chances to take center stage. But it wasn't until the success of 20 Feet From Stardom that Love truly received the recognition she long deserved. Now a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Love and her nine-piece backing band show audiences all that she can do with energetic performances of songs from throughout her career.
Darlene Love in Concert
The woman originally known as Darlene Wright was a teenager in Los Angeles when she began her music career. She caught the ear of Phil Spector while singing in a girl group called the Blossoms and became a prominent singer in the producer's array of talents. Besides singing lead vocals on "He's a Rebel" and other hits by the Crystals, she'd be prominently featured in songs by fellow Spector acts the Ronettes. She also performed "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on the iconic 1963 holiday album A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector. Her voice would appear on hits by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Shelley Fabares.
After taking time to raise her family, she returned to music in the ‘80s. Highlights from this time include performing in the Broadway musical Leader of the Pack and joining U2 for the Irish band's 1987 version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." Her career as an actress also took flight after she made the first of four appearances in the Lethal Weapon movie franchise.
In 2011, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two years later, she gained wider recognition when she appeared in 20 Feet From Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary about some of music's most underappreciated vocalists. The attention led to the 2015 release of Introducing Darlene Love, her very first solo album after nearly 50 years in music.
