Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and also a solo recording artist.

She began singing as a child with her local church choir. In 1962, she began recording with producer Phil 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 to the Crystals. She was soon a highly sought-after vocalist and worked with many rock and soul musicians of the 1960s, including Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, Bill Medley, the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones and Sonny and Cher. As an actress, Love performed in various Broadway productions. She had a recurring role as Roger Murtaugh's wife in the Lethal Weapon film series.

Love was invited annually by David 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 on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman and continued on CBS's Late 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 among Rolling Stones 100 Greatest Singers, Love was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 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, to Ellen Maddox and Reverend Joe Wright. Her younger sister Edna Wright grew up to be the lead singer of the group Honey Cone. She grew up mostly in Los Angeles, but also spent a few years of her youth in Texas.

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 at age ten in Hawthorne, California. During choir practice she caught the attention of choir director Cora Martin-Moore. 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

thumb|left|upright=0.85|[[The Blossoms in 1966. Left to right: Darlene Love, Fanita James, Jean King]]

While still in high school (1957) she sang with the Echoes, a mixed gender doo-wop group. She was then invited to join a little-known girl group called the Blossoms.

In 1962, the Blossoms were hired to sing on a session by producer Phil Spector. 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". The single, credited to the Crystals, was hurriedly released by Spector on Philles Records to get his version of the Gene Pitney song onto the market before that of Vikki Carr. 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.

In the mid-1980s, she portrayed herself in the Tony Award-nominated jukebox musical Leader of the Pack, which featured the rock and roll songs written by Ellie Greenwich, many of them for the young Love. The showstopping number of that show, "River Deep - Mountain High", had been recorded by Phil Spector with Ike & Tina Turner. Leader of the Pack commenced as a revue at the 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 Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Love contributed a cover of the Hollywood Argyles song "Alley Oop" to the soundtrack of the 1984 film Bachelor Party.

In 1986, Love's second chance came when she was asked to sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on David Letterman's Christmas show, which became a yearly tradition.

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)" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and "Thanks for Christmas" by XTC. Love performed with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band in November 2009 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden.

Love was the musical guest on Late Show with David Letterman on May 7, 2007, performing "River Deep-Mountain High".

Love is featured in the documentary film 20 Feet from Stardom (2013), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 86th Academy Awards. 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 girl groups.

In August 2014, the 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 Bruce Springsteen, and covers of Joan Jett and Elvis Costello songs, among others.

In 2023, Love reunited with Cher to sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on Cher's album Christmas. She also performed the song in the 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

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 movies. 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 "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on the last pre-Christmas episode of Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) which aired December 10, 1986, and then annually (with the exception of 2007) on Late 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. Letterman has stated that the annual performance is his favorite part of Christmas. She was dubbed by Letterman as the "Christmas Queen". Love appeared in a reunion short with Letterman on his YouTube channel in 2023, again performing the song.

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. From 2015 until 2023, Love performed the song annually on ABC's The View, only skipping out the 2021 edition due to being exposed to a positive COVID-19 case resulting in a quarantine; a compilation of her previous performances was shown instead. She has usually performed the song as a duet, being joined by Patti LaBelle in 2016, Fantasia in 2017, and Bryan Adams in 2018. Love also performed "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" in season six, episode 10 of the Fox television series New Girl (2016).

Love was a special guest on the December 17, 2005, broadcast of Saturday Night Live, singing "White Christmas" with the SNL band and providing the vocals for a Robert Smigel cartoon entitled "Christmastime for the Jews".

In November 2023, Love, in a duet with Cher, performed "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. Love also performed solo on "A Marshmallow World" at the event.

Beginning in 2024, Love returned to late night television with the song, performing it on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon accompanied by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul and Paul Shaffer.

Personal life

Love has been married three times and has four children. She married Leonard Peete in 1959. 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 Bruce 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 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 in Clermont, Florida on September 26, 2015.

In December 2025, Love was inaugurated onto the Count Basie Center for the Arts Walk of Fame in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Discography

Solo albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year

! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions

|-

! scope="col"| US<br />

! scope="col"| US<br />R&B<br />

! scope="col"| US<br />Heat.<br />

|-

! scope="row"| Paint Another Picture

| 1988

| — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| Bringing It Home

| 1992

| — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| Unconditional Love

| 1998

| — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| It's Christmas of Course

| 2007

| — || — || 29

|-

! scope="row"| Introducing Darlene Love

| 2015

| 134 || 3 || 2

|}

Compilations

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|-

! scope="col"| Title

! scope="col"| Year

|-

! scope="row"| The Best of Darlene Love

| 1992

|-

! scope="row"| So Much Love: A Darlene Love Anthology 1958–1998

| 2008

|-

! scope="row"| The Sound of Love: The Very Best of Darlene Love

| 2011

|-

! scope="row"| The Many Sides of Love: The Complete Reprise Recordings Plus!

| 2022

|}

Live albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|-

! scope="col"| Title

! scope="col"| Year

|-

! scope="row"| Whole Hearted

| 1983

|-

! scope="row"| Darlene Love Live

| 1985

|-

! scope="row"| The Concert of Love

| 2010

|}

Other appearances

  • 1963: Today's Hits (Philles Records 4004)
  • 1963: A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (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.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title

! scope="col" colspan="4"| Chart positions

|-

! scope="col"| <small>US<br />Hot 100</small><br />

! scope="col"| <small>US<br />R&B</small><br />

! scope="col"| <small>CAN</small>

! scope="col"| <small>UK</small>

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1961

! scope = "row"| "Son-In-Law" (The Blossoms) Challenge 9109 <small>(lead vocals by unknown session vocalist)</small>

| 79 || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Hard to Get" (The Blossoms) Challenge 9122

| — || — || — || —

|-

| rowspan="4"| 1962

! scope="row"| "The Search Is Over" (The Blossoms) Challenge 9138

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "He's a Rebel" (released as the Crystals) Philles 106

| 1 || 2 || 1 || 19

|-

! scope="row"| "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (released as Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans) Philles 107 <small>(lead vocals by Bobby Sheen)</small>

| 8 || 7 || — || 45

|-

! scope="row"| "He's Sure the Boy I Love" (released as the Crystals) Philles 109

| 11 || 18 || 17 || —

|-

| rowspan="6"| 1963

! scope="row"| "Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts" (released as Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans) Philles 110

| 38 || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Today I Met the Boy I'm Gonna Marry" / "My Heart Beat a Little Bit Faster" Philles 111

| 39 || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Not Too Young to Get Married" (released as Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans) Philles 113 <small>(joint lead vocals with Bobby Sheen)</small>

| 63 || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Wait 'til My Bobby Gets Home" / "Take It from Me" Philles 114

| 26 || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "A Fine, Fine Boy" Philles 117

| 53 || 29 || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" Philles 119

| 14 || — || 36 || 20

|-

| rowspan="3"| 1964

! scope="row"| "Stumble and Fall" / "He's a Quiet Guy" Philles 123

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" Philles 125

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "3625 Groovy Street" / "What Are We Gonna Do in '64" (The Wildcats) Reprise 0253 <small>(The Blossoms under a pseudonym; features unison lead vocals)</small>

| — || — || — || —

|-

| 1965

! scope="row"| "Good Good Lovin'" / "That's When the Tears Start" (The Blossoms) Reprise 0436

| — || 45 || — || —

|-

| rowspan="3"| 1966

! scope="row"| "Lover Boy" / "My Love Come Home" (The Blossoms) Reprise 0475

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Let Your Love Shine on Me" / "Deep Into My Heart" (The Blossoms) Reprise 0522

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Too Late to Say You're Sorry" / "If" Reprise 0534

| — || — || — || —

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1967

! scope="row"| "Deep Into My Heart" / "Good Good Lovin'" (The Blossoms) Reprise 0639

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Wonderful" b/w "Stoney End" (The Blossoms) Ode 101 <small>(B-side features joint lead vocals with Jean King)</small>

| — || — || — || —

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1968

! scope="row"| "Tweedlee Dee" (The Blossoms) MGM 13964

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Cry Like a Baby" (The Blossoms) Ode 106

| — || — || — || —

|-

| rowspan="3"| 1969

! scope="row"| "Stoney End" b/w "Wonderful" – reissued (The Blossoms) Ode 125 <small>(A-side features joint lead vocals with Jean King)</small>

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" / "Something So Wrong" (The Blossoms) Bell 780

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" / "Stand By" (The Blossoms) Bell 797

| — || — || — || —

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1970

! scope="row"| "I Ain't Got to Love Nobody Else" / "Don't Take Your Love" (The Blossoms) Bell 857

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "One Step Away" / "Break Your Promise" (The Blossoms) Bell 937

| — || — || — || —

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1972

! scope="row"| "Touchdown" (The Blossoms) Lion 108

| — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Grandma's Hands" (The Blossoms) Lion 125

| — || — || — || —

|-

| 1974

! scope="row"| "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" / "Winter Wonderland" Warner-Spector Records 0401

| 14 / 40 || — || — || —

|-

| 1975

! scope="row"| "Lord, If You're a Woman" / "Stumble and Fall" Warner-Spector Records 0410

| — || — || — || —

|-

| 1977

! scope="row"| "There's No Greater Love" (The Blossoms) Epic 50435

| — || — || — || —

|-

| 1988

! scope="row"| "He's Sure the Man I Love" / "I've Never Been the Same" / "Everybody Needs" Columbia 07984

| — || — || — || —

|-

| 1992

! scope="row"| "All Alone on Christmas" (used in the film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York) Fox 10003

| 83 || — || — || 31

|-

| 2005

! scope="row"| "Christmastime for the Jews" (from Saturday Night Live)

| — || — || — || —

|}

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! 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

|}

Theater

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Year

! Production

! Role

! Theatre

|-

| 1985

| Leader of the Pack

| Herself

| Ambassador Theatre, Broadway

|-

| rowspan="2"| 1988

| rowspan="2"| Carrie

| rowspan="2"| Miss Gardner

| Royal Shakespeare Theatre

|-

| Virginia Theatre, Broadway

|-

| 1997

| Grease

| Teen Angel

| Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway

|-

| 2005-08

| Hairspray

| Motormouth Maybelle

| Neil Simon Theatre, Broadway

|}

Notes

a. Some sources say 1938; see talk page discussion.

References

  • History of Rock and Roll: Darlene Love
  • Darlene Love Interview