Lulu (singer)
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Lulu-Together.jpg
Lulu (real name Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie) is a Scottish singer and songwriter most known for the 1960s international hit record "To Sir, With Love".
She was born on November 3, 1948 in Glasgow, and shot to fame at the age of fifteen with her version of "Shout", delivered in a raucous and extremely mature voice. Her backing group were called The Luvvers, but after several more British hits she left the group to become a solo artist.
In 1966 she made her debut as a film actress in To Sir, with Love, a British vehicle for Sidney Poitier. She had a major hit with the film's title song, which shot to No. 1 in the United States. In the meantime, she continued with a thriving pop career and several television series of her own. In 1969, she represented the United Kingdom by performing the song "Boom bang-a-bang" at the Eurovision Song Contest, and was joint winner with the representatives of Spain, the Netherlands and France—there had never been a draw before, and the rules were altered to prevent it ever happening again.
In the same year, Lulu married Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees in a fairytale ceremony in Gerrards Cross. Their careers forced them apart, and they divorced, childless, in 1973. Lulu then married her hairdresser, John Frieda, and remained with him for twenty years until another divorce. They had one son, Jordan Frieda. She became interested in Eastern mysticism and joined Siddha Yoga Meditation.
Lulu's singing career waned, but she remained in the public eye, continuing to act. In 1987, she played Adrian Mole's mother on television, and in the 1990s she made a comeback, guesting on the cover version of the Dan Hartman song "Relight My Fire", with Take That. The single reached number one in the British charts. She also appeared as herself in an episode of the hugely popular Absolutely Fabulous.
In 2000 she was awarded an MBE by the British Government. Her 2003 autobiography is called Don't Wanna Fight No More after a hit song she wrote for Tina Turner.
In 2002 her gold album Together was a collection of duets with the likes of Elton John and Paul McCartney. In 2004 she released the album Back on Track and went on a UK-wide tour to celebrate 40 years in the business.
External links
- Website (http://www.lulu.co.uk/)
| Preceded by: Massiel | Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 (tied) | Succeeded by: Dana |