At age 72, Darlene Love was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this week, finally receiving credit for a voice that many Americans never connected with her name or face.
From Pop Matters:
A white dude on a motorcycle.
That's the first visual correlation a whole generation of listeners had with the voice of Darlene Love. Indeed, the picture sleeve accompanying the 45 single of "He's a Rebel" reflected nothing of the woman singing the song. In fact, even the name of the group on the sleeve — "the Crystals" — was not accurate.
While the real Crystals were on tour, producer Phil Spector recorded the Blossoms on the track, with Darlene Love singing lead. It would not be the last time. After that song's chart-topping success in summer 1962, Darlene Love fronted "He's Sure the Boy I Love" by The Crystals and "Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Hearts" by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans. Her voice was simultaneously ubiquitous and anonymous.
Fifty years later, rock and roll history has been rectified. The woman who belted out those hits, as well as her own properly credited "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" and "Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home" is now receiving an honor that is rightly hers: an induction to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The honor arrives at a particularly auspicious time. While Love will be inducted to the Hall of Fame on 14 March, PBS will air The Concert of Love throughout March. Available on CD and DVD, the concert was filmed at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, New Jersey and features Darlene Love giving the audience a veritable history of rock and roll.
Listen to her response here:
Read more (and an interview with Darlene Love) at Pop Matters.
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