cousin-brucie
Rock & Roll Call. 📞📞☎️
She is a cornerstone of American R&B and Soul – her powerhouse vocals, her talent and her vivacious personality. Who am I writing about? The Answer – DARLENE LOVE.
She first rose to prominence as the lead singer of The Blossoms. A pioneering Los Angeles girl group.
Darlene’s church-choir beginnings provided the foundation for her dynamic and gospel-inflected vocal style, which eventually caught the attention of legendary producer Phil Spector.
Her big break came in 1962 when Phil Spector asked her to sing lead on “He’s a Rebel.” The hit single was credited to the Crystals and not to Darlene – it shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. She also sang lead on the Crystals”He Sure The Boy I Love”.
Throughout the 1960s, Darlene’s versatility made her one of the most sought-after session singers, providing backing vocals for artists like the Ronettes, Righteous Brothers, Sam Cooke, the Beach Boys, and Elvis Presley.
Darlene recorded several singles under her own name for Spector’s Philles Records, including “(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry,” “Wait ’Til My Bobby Gets Home,” and the iconic holiday standard “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. The song became a holiday tradition giving her the title of “Christmas Queen”.
Rolling Stone magazine included her among the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. Darlene’s career and enduring voice were featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary “20 Feet from Stardom,” for which she also won a Grammy Award.
Cousins, very happily we welcome DARLENE LOVE once again to MusicRadio. Celebrate Love with us on Saturday 11/15/25.
CB
