Courtesy of Mish.
Darlene Love has been appearing on the David Letterman Show every Christmas week since 1986, always singing the same song, ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’. I watched most of them. I caught the 2013 version this year as well.
She is one of my favorite “girl group” singers from the 60’s
1986 Rendition
The productions now are quite spectacular vs. 1986. Here is the 1986 rendition.
Broadway World has many interesting details.
The legendary Darlene Love, who’s become a Late Show with David Letterman holiday staple, returned to the hit show this week for her annual performance of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” with Paul Shaffer. Love, who’s appeared in Broadway’s HAIRSPRAY and GREASE, first took to Letterman’s stage in 1986.
From her first number one recording, “He’s A Rebel,” through her string of label hits with legendary producer Phil Spector, including “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “He’s Sure The Boy I’m Gonna Marry,” and “Christmas Baby Please Come Home” to the countless songs she sang backup on for artists like Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Dionne Warwick, Cher,Luther Vandross and Aretha Franklin, Darlene Love is still blazing a trail of success in the music industry and has been nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her albums include Age of Miracles, recorded live in New York City, her first gospel album; Unconditional Love released by Harmony records.
Over the course of her career Darlene has been hailed as one of the greatest singers in pop music by such music legends as Cher, Better Midler and the legendary Luther Vandross. She has proven herself a talented actress as well on stage and screen, starring as Danny Glover’s wife in all of the Lethal Weapon films and lighting-up Broadway in such musicals as Grease and the Tony Award-nominated Leader of the Pack. Darlene also starred for three years on Broadway as Motormouth Maybelle in the Tony Award-winning musical Hairspray.
Wikipedia notes
Darlene Love (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.
She appears in the documentary film 20 Feet From Stardom (2013), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
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