Dates

• Existence: Born 3 November 1948

Biography

Lulu was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie on 3 November 1948 in Lennoxtown, Stirlingshire. The quality of her voice was apparent from a very early age and she started singing professionally at twelve years old. Over the course of her career, Lulu became a singer, actress, television personality, and businesswoman. Aged sixteen she gained her first record deal with Decca Records and by 1966 she was touring around Europe and was the first British female singer to appear live behind the Iron Curtain. Failing to reach the charts, she changed labels and signed with Columbia that same year. By the end of the decade, her music career was thriving and she made her acting debut, appearing on several television series and programmes.

In 1969, Lulu represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Boom Bang-a-Bang’. That same year she married Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees. The marriage did not last long and the couple divorced in 1973.

During the 1970s and 1980s Lulu appeared in several pantomimes in Manchester and London.

In 1974, she performed the title song for the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.

Lulu’s singing career waned in the 1990s, however through this period and into the twenty first century she has managed to remain in the public eye through her work in radio, and occasional television appearances and singing deals. She was awarded an OBE in 2000.

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