Darlene Love

The secret weapon of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, Darlene Love was among the most famous little-known singers in 1960s rock 'n' roll. As the leader of studio backing vocal group The Blossoms, Love spent the 1960s singing on hit singles by artists ranging from Sam Cooke and Dionne Warwick to The Beach Boys and Sonny & Cher, but the lack of credit afforded to studio musicians in that era meant that her name was little known beyond the cognoscenti. Love's biggest hit, the 1962 #1 smash "He's A Rebel," wasn't even released under her name: Spector released the single, recorded by The Blossoms in Los Angeles, under the name of his already-successful New York-based girl group, The Crystals. But as rock 'n' roll matured, Darlene Love took her rightful place in the music's history, including a leading role in the hit documentary about the world of backing singers, "20 Feet From Stardom" (2013).