Lulu (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lulu
|
|
|---|---|
_(52405441477)_(cropped)_(cropped).jpg)
Lulu performing at The Sound of 007, 2022
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie |
| Also known as | Lulu Kennedy-Cairns |
| Born | 3 November 1948 Lennoxtown, Scotland |
| Origin | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels |
|
| Children | 1 |
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie on November 3, 1948, is a famous Scottish singer, songwriter, actress, and TV star. Her amazing career has lasted for over sixty years!
Her very first song, a cover of The Isley Brothers' hit "Shout", became a Top 10 hit in the UK in 1964. In 1967, she became famous worldwide after starring in the movie To Sir, with Love. She sang the theme song for the film, which became the number one song in the United States for five weeks. It was America's biggest-selling song of 1967.
During the 1960s, Lulu had five more Top 10 hits in the UK. One of these was "Boom Bang-a-Bang", which won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969. With her powerful voice, she sang the title song for the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974. In the mid-1990s, Lulu had her first number one song in the UK. This was "Relight My Fire", a song she sang with the group Take That.
In 2002, she had her most recent Top 10 hit in the UK. This was "We've Got Tonite", a song she sang with Irish singer Ronan Keating, which reached number four. Lulu has released 15 studio albums. Her album Together (2002) was her highest-charting album, reaching number four in the UK. She was honored by the Queen, becoming an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000. She was later made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2021 for her contributions to music, entertainment, and charity.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie was born in Lennoxtown, Scotland, in 1948. She grew up in Glasgow, where she went to Thomson Street Primary School and Onslow Drive School. She lived in the Gallowgate area for a while before moving to Garfield Street, Dennistoun. When she was 12 or 13, she wanted to gain experience as a singer. She and her manager approached a band called the Bellrocks. She performed with them every Saturday night. Alex Thomson, the band's bass player, said her voice was amazing even back then. She has two brothers and a sister. When she was 14, her future manager, Marion Massey, gave her the stage name "Lulu". Massey said, "Well, all I know is that she's a real lulu of a kid."
In August 2017, Lulu's family history was explored on the UK TV show Who Do You Think You Are? The show revealed that her mother was raised by another family. The research into her family tree showed that Lulu's grandparents had different religious backgrounds. Her grandfather, Hugh Cairns, was Catholic, and her grandmother, Helen Kennedy, was Protestant. This discovery helped explain why their families were against their marriage.
First Hit Songs
In 1964, Lulu signed with Decca Records with the help of Marion Massey. She was only fifteen when her version of the Isley Brothers' song "Shout" became a hit. It was credited to "Lulu & the Luvvers" and reached No. 7 on the UK chart. Marion Massey managed Lulu's career for over 25 years. They were also business partners for most of that time. Massey's husband, Mark London, produced some of Lulu's songs.
After "Shout" became a success, Lulu's next hit song was "Leave a Little Love" in 1965. This song also reached the UK Top Ten. Her next record, "Try to Understand", made it into the Top 40.
In 1966, Lulu toured Poland with the Hollies. She was the first British female singer to perform live behind the Iron Curtain. That same year, she recorded two songs in German. All her Decca recordings were later released in 2009 on a 2-CD set called Shout!. After two hit songs with the Luvvers, Lulu started her solo career.
After not having any chart hits in 1966, Lulu left Decca. She then signed with Columbia and worked with producer Mickie Most. She returned to the UK singles chart in April 1967. Her song "The Boat That I Row", written by Neil Diamond, reached No. 6. All seven songs she recorded with Mickie Most became UK chart hits. This ended with "Boom Bang-A-Bang" reaching number 2 in 1969.
Lulu made her acting debut in 1967 in the film To Sir, with Love, which starred Sidney Poitier. Lulu acted in the film and sang the title song. This song became a huge hit for her in the United States, reaching No. 1. "To Sir with Love" was the best-selling song of 1967 in the United States. It sold over a million copies and was named the number 1 song of the year by Billboard magazine. In the UK, "To Sir With Love" was released on the B-side of "Let's Pretend", which was a number 11 hit.
Television Shows
In the late 1960s, Lulu's pop career in the UK was very successful. She had several of her own television series. Her first BBC series aired in 1965. In 1968, she was given her own BBC1 TV series. This show ran every year until 1975 under different names, like Lulu's Back in Town and It's Lulu. These shows often featured special guests and dance groups.
One episode from January 1969 is remembered for a lively appearance by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. During their performance, Hendrix stopped playing "Hey Joe" and announced a song for Cream. He then started playing "Sunshine of Your Love". The studio director tried to stop him, but he kept going. Hendrix was told he would not work at the BBC again, but he didn't mind. He said he wasn't going to sing with Lulu because he would look silly.
Lulu also hosted several special TV shows. These included Lulu At Bern's Restaurant in 1969 and Bruce Forsyth Meets Lulu in 1975.
Eurovision Song Contest
On March 29, 1969, Lulu represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest. She performed the song "Boom Bang-a-Bang". Viewers of her BBC1 TV show chose the song from a selection of six. In Madrid, Lulu was joined by Sue and Sunny. The orchestra was led by Lulu's musical director Johnny Harris.
"Boom Bang-a-Bang" won the contest! However, three other songs also tied with her for first place. These were from Spain, the Netherlands, and France. The rules were later changed to prevent ties in future years. Lulu's song sold the best, with versions in German, French, Spanish, and Italian. She later said, "I know it's a rotten song, but I won, so who cares?" Despite her dislike, it is her second biggest UK hit to date. It reached number 2 on the chart in 1969.
Just weeks before her 1969 Eurovision appearance, Lulu married Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees. Maurice's older brother Barry thought they were too young to marry. Their honeymoon in Mexico had to be delayed because of Lulu's Eurovision commitment. Their busy careers and his drinking caused them to separate. They divorced in 1973 but remained good friends.
1970s: James Bond Theme
Lulu started 1970 by appearing on the BBC's music review show Pop Go the Sixties. She performed "Boom Bang-A-Bang" live on December 31, 1969. She recorded another album in the US, Melody Fair. She had a US Top 30 hit with "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)".
On May 10, 1972, Lulu was the subject of This Is Your Life. She was surprised by Eamonn Andrews. Lulu was one of the main artists invited to appear on the BBC's anniversary show Fifty Years Of Music in 1972. That same year, she starred in the Christmas play Peter Pan in Manchester. She repeated this role in London in 1975 and again from 1987 to 1989. She also appeared on the Morecambe and Wise Show in 1973.
In 1974, Lulu sang the title song for the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. Two slightly different versions of the song were used in the film. The ending version mentioned James Bond. This song was released as a single. It is the only Bond film title track that did not become a hit song in the UK or the US.
In the same year, Lulu covered David Bowie's songs "The Man Who Sold the World" and "Watch That Man". Bowie and Mick Ronson produced these recordings. Bowie also played saxophone and sang backing vocals. "The Man Who Sold the World" became her first Top 10 hit in five years. It reached No. 3 in the UK chart in February 1974. In 1975, she released the disco song "Take Your Mama For A Ride". This song reached No. 37 in the UK chart.
On December 31, 1976, Lulu performed "Shout" on BBC1's A Jubilee of Music. This show celebrated British pop music for Queen Elizabeth II's upcoming Silver Jubilee. In 1977, Lulu became interested in Siddha Yoga. She married hairdresser John Frieda. They had one son, Jordan Frieda. They divorced in 1991.
1980s: Other Projects
Lulu's chart success slowed down in the 1980s. However, she remained famous by acting and hosting a radio show in London. She was also involved with the Freemans fashion catalog. In 1979, she recorded for Elton John's record label.
She appeared on stage in London in the early 1980s. These roles included Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance and the Royal National Theatre's Guys and Dolls. Lulu hurt her vocal cords while performing in the Lloyd Webber show. This required surgery that could have affected her singing voice. In 1981, she had a US hit with "I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)". This song reached the Top 20 and was No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
She won the Rear of the Year award in 1983. She also re-recorded some of her songs. This included "Shout", which reached the Top 10 again in 1986 in the UK. This earned her a spot on Top of the Pops. Lulu was one of only two performers to have sung on Top of the Pops in every decade the show ran.
In 1985, her first autobiography, Lulu : Her Autobiography, was published. On television, she played Adrian Mole's mother in The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole in 1987. In 1989 and 1990, she was the voice of the main character in the animated series Nellie the Elephant. In 1989, Lulu and her manager of 25 years, Marion Massey, stopped working together.
1990s: Music Comeback
In 1993, Lulu made a music comeback with the song "Independence". It reached No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart. This was the title song from her album Independence. All four songs released from this album reached the lower parts of the UK chart. Her second song after "Independence" was "I'm Back for More", a duet with soul singer Bobby Womack. This song reached No. 27. Also in 1993, the song "I Don't Wanna Fight", which Lulu helped write, became a worldwide hit for Tina Turner.
Later that year, she sang on a cover version of the Dan Hartman song "Relight My Fire" with the boy band Take That. This song reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. Lulu then joined Take That as a supporting act on their 1994 tour. She also appeared in two episodes of the BBC TV show Absolutely Fabulous. She teamed up with French and Saunders many times, including their funny version of the Spice Girls for Comic Relief in 1997. In this, she played "Baby Spice".
In 1999, Lulu returned to BBC One to host the Saturday night National Lottery game show Red Alert. The theme song, sung by Lulu, was released as a single but only reached No.59 in the UK.
2000s: Return to Fame and Together
Now known as Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, she was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. Lulu's autobiography, published in 2002, was called I Don't Want to Fight. This was named after the hit song she wrote for Tina Turner. Lulu herself released this song in 2003. Her 2002 gold album, Together, was a collection of duets with famous artists like Elton John and Paul McCartney. Songs from this album were performed in a TV special for ITV, An Audience With Lulu. This show reunited Lulu with her first husband Maurice Gibb for a live performance. Her song "We've Got Tonight", with Ronan Keating, reached #4 in the United Kingdom.
In 2004, she released the album Back on Track. She went on a UK tour to celebrate forty years in music. The album reached No. 68. In late 2004, she returned to radio as a host on BBC Radio 2. In 2005, Lulu released A Little Soul in Your Heart, a collection of soul classics. This album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 28.
Lulu continued to act sometimes. She starred in the British film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? She also appeared on the BBC's reality TV show Just the Two of Us in 2006 as a judge. In late June and early July 2006, she performed with Take That on their UK and Ireland tour. She sang their song "Relight My Fire". She appeared on American Idol Season 6 on March 20, 2007, as a mentor for the female singers. The next night, she performed "To Sir With Love". Later in 2007, she was a guest for Jools Holland in a series of concerts.
In November 2008, Lulu was part of an advertising campaign for Homecoming Scotland. This was a year-long event to encourage people with Scottish heritage to visit Scotland. In January 2009, Lulu became an advisor on the BBC show Eurovision: Your Country Needs You. She helped choose the singer to represent the UK at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. In the summer of 2009, Lulu was a guest presenter on STV's show The Hour. She also promoted her "Lulu's" anti-aging products on QVC. After an ABBA tribute concert in September 2009, Lulu announced she would tour the UK with Here Come the Girls. She toured with Chaka Khan and Anastacia.
2010s: Touring and Commonwealth Games
.jpg)
In early 2010, Lulu sang the theme song "The Word Is Love" for the film Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!! She also toured the UK again with Here Come the Girls. In November 2010, she hosted the BBC TV series Rewind the 60s. Each episode focused on a year from the 1960s.
On February 26, 2011, she appeared in Let's Dance for Comic Relief. She danced to Soulja Boy's hit "Crank That". In May 2011, she appeared on the ITV2 show Celebrity Juice. In October and November 2011, Lulu took part in the BBC series Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with Brendan Cole and was the fifth contestant eliminated.
In August 2014, Lulu opened the closing ceremony of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. On February 11, 2015, she appeared on The Great Comic Relief Bake Off for Comic Relief. She shared that she had never made a pastry before. On August 17, 2017, she was the subject of the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are program again.
On March 19, 2018, she joined the cast of 42nd Street. She played the main role of Dorothy Brock for 16 weeks. Between April and June 2019, Lulu toured with Take That on their Greatest Hits tour. She performed "Relight My Fire" with them. On December 18, 2019, she performed "Run Rudolph Run" and "Shout" at the Miss World 2019 pageant.
2020s: The Masked Singer and Television
_(52405441477).jpg)
In October 2021, Lulu was a guest judge on the BBC program RuPaul's Drag Race UK. In March 2022, she voiced a character in My Old School. This film was about a 30-year-old student who pretended to be younger at a school in Glasgow. Lulu also sang the closing theme, "My Old School".
In January 2023, Lulu appeared on the fourth series of The Masked Singer as "Piece of Cake". She was the second contestant to be voted out. Her For The Record UK Tour in 2023 was Lulu's first tour since 2019. It was a big return to her live performances.
On November 3, 2023, to celebrate her seventy-fifth birthday, Lulu announced her Champagne for Lulu! UK tour dates for 2024. Her only London performance will celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of her first hit song, Shout. This show is planned for April 17 at the London Palladium.
On June 29, 2025, Lulu was a special guest for Rod Stewart at the Glastonbury Festival. The performance was broadcast live by the BBC. The two sang Stewart's 1978 hit "Hot Legs". It was the first time they had performed together.
Discography
- Something to Shout About (1965)
- Love Loves to Love Lulu (1967)
- Lulu's Album (1969)
- New Routes (1970)
- Melody Fair (1970)
- Lulu (1973)
- Heaven and Earth and the Stars (1976)
- Don't Take Love for Granted (1979)
- Lulu (1981)
- Take Me to Your Heart Again (1982)
- Independence (1993)
- Together (2002)
- Back on Track (2004)
- A Little Soul in Your Heart (2005)
- Making Life Rhyme (2015)
TV Shows
Lulu appeared three times on Show of the Week. From 1999 to 2000, Lulu hosted 14 episodes of Red Alert with the National Lottery.
Lulu also appeared in several TV specials. These included one with Bruce Forsyth in 1974 and Lulu's Big Show in 1993. Another special in 1999 was about Lulu's life and career.
Lulu also lent her voice to the cartoon Nellie the Elephant. She voiced the main character and sang the theme song.
Lulu appeared in an episode of Heartbeat in November 2002. She played a singer named Deborah Vine. She sang "To Sir, With Love" at a concert.
Filmography
- Gonks Go Beat (1965)
- To Sir, with Love (1967) (also theme song)
- Cucumber Castle (1970)
- The Cherry Picker (1972)
- Alicja (1982) (voice)
- To Sir, with Love II (1996)
- Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999)
- Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016)
- The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020)
- My Old School (2022) (voice and closing theme)
- Arthur's Whiskey (2024)
Honours
In 2017, Lulu was a special guest at the City Lit Awards. These awards celebrated the great work of students and staff at the college.
Lulu was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000. She was later appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2021. These honors were for her services to music, entertainment, and charity.
See also
In Spanish: Lulu (cantante) para niños
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
- Mononymous person
