Taken from the February issue of Dazed & Confused:
You might not know Darlene Love’s name, but you’ve definitely heard her sing. Discovered by “wall of sound” producer Phil Spector, she became his secret weapon, singing backing vocals on his greatest hits with her group The Blossoms and taking the lead (uncredited) on girl-group classic “He’s a Rebel” and the festive perennial “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. She’s backed upMarvin Gaye, Cher and Nancy Sinatra onstage and can be heard on Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life”, the Halloween hit “Monster Mash” and tracks by everyone from the Beach Boys and Sam Cooke to Tom Jones and Luther Vandross. After years of being dicked around by Spector, the now 72-year-old has finally been recognised as a legendary performer in her own right, and her career is now receiving another boost from the 20 Feet from Stardom doc,which sees the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder profess their admiration for her work.
