Lulu (singer)

Lulu (real name Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie) is a Scottish singer. 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 she soon ditched them to become a mainstream solo artist.

In 1966 she made her debut as a film actress in To Sir, With Love, a British vehicle for Sidney Poitier. In the meantime, she continued with a thriving pop career and several television series of her own. In 1969, she represented Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was joint winner with representatives from three other countries - 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. 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 child.

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 Re-light My Fire, a Take That single which went to number one in the British charts.