Music legend Darlene Love visits Jersey City kids, helps deliver 20 new guitars

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
June 06, 2013 at 8:35 PM

Years after pop star Darlene Love first achieved fame, she was down on her luck, cleaning homes for a living, when her classic hit ?Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)? started playing on a radio as she scrubbed a bathroom.

Love, who reached stardom as a girl-group singer in the 1960s, said she knew then that cleaning homes wasn?t for her.

?It?s not what God put me on this earth to do,? she said. ?He put me on this earth to sing. And I never looked back.?

Love, 71, recounted this story to a classroom full of Jersey City middle schoolers yesterday afternoon when she stopped by to sing a few tunes, offer some inspirational advice, and help deliver 20 new guitars courtesy of music-education advocacy group Little Kids Rock.

In front of a rapt crowd of about 50 students (and a few adults who popped in to get a peek at pop royalty), Love told the kids to never give up on their dreams, no matter how many times they?re told to give up.

?Your dreams are your dreams, nobody else?s,? she said.

During a brief question-and-answer session, Love told the kids she still gets nervous before performing, she embarked on a solo career because she didn?t like the backstage drama that came with girl groups, and she still remembers that producer Phil Spector stiffed her on royalties for her big songs.

Love then joined the kids and Mayor Jerramiah Healy to belt out a spirited rendition of ?Lean on Me.?

The tune brought down the house.

?That was fabulous,? Love said when the performance concluded.

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Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Former pop star Darlene Love visits Jersey City School 7

Years after pop star Darlene Love first achieved fame, she was down on her luck, cleaning homes for a living, when her classic hit "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" started playing on a radio as she scrubbed a bathroom.

Love, who reached stardom as a girl-group singer in the 1960s, said she knew then that cleaning homes wasn't for her.

"It's not what God put me on this earth to do," she said. "He put me on this earth to sing. And I never looked back."

Love, 71, recounted this story to a classroom full of Jersey City middle schoolers this afternoon when she stopped by to sing a few tunes, offer some inspirational advice, and help deliver 20 new guitars courtesy of music-education advocacy group Little Kids Rock.

Famous for such hits as "He's a Rebel" and "Da Doo Ron Ron," Love visited School 7 on Laidlaw Avenue in conjunction with Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit that advocates for music education in schools.

In front of a rapt crowd of about 50 students (and a few adults who popped in to get a peek at pop royalty), Love told the kids to never give up on their dreams, no matter how many times you're told to give up.

"Your dreams are your dreams, nobody else's," she said.

During a brief question-and-answer session, Love told the kids she still gets nervous before performing, she embarked on a solo career because she didn't like the backstage drama that came with girl groups, and she still remembers that producer Phil Spector stiffed her on royalties for her big songs.

Love then joined the kids -- and Mayor Jerramiah Healy -- to belt out a spirited rendition of "Lean on Me."

The tune brought down the house.

"That was fabulous," Love said when the performance concluded.