Darlene Love

Darlene Love (née Wright; born July 26, 1941) is an American popular music singer and actress. She gained prominence in the 1960s for the song "He's a Rebel," a No. 1 American single in 1962, and was one of the Phil Spector artists who produced a celebrated Christmas album in 1963. Darlene Love grew up in a community that was almost numb to the racial divide, at least in her family. Her father always told her to shoot for the stars and have your voice be as loud as possible. Darlene reflects on her childhood: "we didn't know we were poor"; she adds, "if we didn't know we were poor, we didn't ‘know' we were black either." As a minister's daughter, she grew up listening to gospel music and was a dedicated member of her church in San Antonio, Texas. She began singing in her church choir at age ten. During choir practice she caught the attention of choir director Cora Martin. After singing for Martin she was asked to go to the Music Mart where she sang and did some broadcasts; Love's career began there.[1] As it was her first musical experience, it was also the main influence for her to pursue a music career. Those who knew her described her vocals as "a voice of a nightingale." She claimed, "(Singing in the choir) was a big influence on my life. I call it my learning ground. Singing in the choir, I learned harmony."[2] She appears in the documentary film 20 Feet from Stardom (2013), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Academy Award for best documentary. As an actress, she is perhaps best remembered for playing officer Roger Murtaugh's (Danny Glover) wife in the Lethal Weapon film series.