Dame Cleo Laine: A Legendary Jazz Singer

Strategic Insights -

Cleo Laine, the UK's most successful and celebrated jazz singer, passed away peacefully at the age of 97. Born in Uxbridge, west London, in 1927, Laine rose to fame after successfully auditioning for John Dankworth's band, the Dankworth Seven, at the age of 25. She went on to achieve a four-octave range and became a leading exponent of the scat singing style, earning recognition with her husband Dankworth for their jazz arrangements of poetry by renowned authors.

Key Takeaways:

  • Laine was born in Uxbridge, west London, in 1927, to a Jamaican father and an English farmer's daughter.
  • She rose to fame with the Dankworth Seven, earning £7 a week and changing her name to Cleo Laine.
  • She developed her voice to a four-octave range and became known for her scat singing style.
  • She acted in plays and musical theatre, including a successful run in the British pop charts with You'll Answer to Me reaching No 5.
  • Laine and Dankworth received critical acclaim for their jazz arrangements of poetry by famous authors, including Shakespeare, ee cummings, and TS Eliot.
  • She recorded acclaimed albums with John Williams and James Galway, and supported Frank Sinatra at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992.
  • Laine was awarded an OBE in 1979 and made a dame in 1997, while Dankworth was knighted in 2006.
  • The couple continued to tour together until shortly before Dankworth's death in 2010, aged 82.

Statistics:

  • Laine was 97 years old at the time of her passing.
  • She earned £7 a week when she first joined the Dankworth Seven.
  • Laine has a four-octave voice range.
  • She had a son, Stuart, who died in 2019, aged 72.
  • Laine was awarded an OBE in 1979.
  • She was made a dame in 1997.
  • Dankworth was knighted in 2006.

Sources:

  • A statement from her children Jacqui and Alec reads: "It is with deepest sadness that we announce the passing of our dearly beloved mother, Cleo, who died peacefully yesterday afternoon."
  • Laine was reported by US reviewers as receiving rapturous feedback for her performances in New York.
  • Her marriage to George Langridge was short-lived, and she left him for John Dankworth, whom she married in 1958.