Ken Foote's Holiday Songs: Darlene Love

(CBSDFW.COM) - Legendary R&B/pop singer and film actress Darlene Love has withstood the test of time, performing for nearly six decades.

Born Darlene Wright on July 26, 1941 in Los Angeles, she was the daughter of a minister and sang in the church choir as a child. She became a name in the 1960's as lead vocalist for the song, "He's A Rebel" with the vocal R&B group The Crystals, which hit #1 in 1962 on Billboard. She starred as Danny Glover's wife in the "Lethal Weapon" series of motion pictures. And in 2019, she will celebrate her 60th year as a professional entertainer.

The holidays would not be the same without her rendition of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." It was from the album "A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records". On a side note, ironically, the song was released on November 22, 1963, the date that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Originally, Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes was supposed to record this song but the job ended up going to Love. The song was a smash hit then and a smash hit today during the holiday season.

Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector and produced by Spector, running 2:49 on the Philles label, the lyrics go like this:

The snow's coming down
I'm watching it fall
Lots of people around
Baby please come home

The church bells in town
All ringing in song
Full of happy sounds
Baby please come home

[Chorus]
They're singing "Deck The Halls"
But it's not like Christmas at all
'Cause I remember when you were here
And all the fun we had last year

Enjoy!!