On November 3, 1962, the song “He’s a Rebel” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The single listed the song’s singers as The Crystals, and that is the name you will still see next to the song today. But the famous recording was actually made by another group.
Recording of “He’s a Rebel”
Back in the early 1960s, producer Phil Spector rushed to have one of his groups record “He’s a Rebel.” He was in a hurry because a competing artist planned to record the song too.
But at the time, Spector was in Los Angeles and The Crystals were in New York. So, Spector’s other option was to produce the song with another group. He arranged for recording the song with the unknown group The Blossoms, headed by Darlene Love.
The record, though, was credited to the better-known Crystals. The song became a hit for The Crystals, which led to them having to lip synch to Darlene Love’s voice on national TV.
The Real Crystals
The Crystals continued to record using their own voices, scoring big hits with songs like “Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)” and “Then He Kissed Me” in 1963.
Darlene Love
Darlene Love did okay on her own too. Spector produced her singing one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” Until the show ended, Love annually sang the song on David Letterman’s show.
Love eventually became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame too. Here Love sings “He’s a Rebel” in 2010 with the cast of the play Million Dollar Quartet, showing she still has the voice.
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(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
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