Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie on November 3, 1948, in Glasgow, Scotland, began her career as a teenager touring northern clubs with her band, the Luvvers. Her initial success came with a cover of "Shout" reaching #7 in 1964, establishing her as one of the biggest-selling British female singers of the 1960s.
Lulu made her film debut in To Sir, with Love (1967),starring alongside Sidney Poitier, and performed the title song, which reached #1 in the United States, although it was only released as a B-side in the United Kingdom. She was one of four joint winners of the 1968 Eurovision Song Contest with "Boom Bang-a-Bang".
In 1969, Lulu married Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees and shifted her focus to family entertainment, building on the success of her self-titled BBC television show. She recorded a version of David Bowie's song "The Man Who Sold the World", which reached #3 in the UK charts, and sang the title theme to the James Bond feature The Man with the Golden Gun (1974),both in 1974.
After marrying celebrity hairdresser John Frieda and having one son, Jordan Frieda, Lulu's career transitioned into occasional adverts and pantomimes. Her divorce in the 1990s led to the release of the hit album "Independence" (1993). She also co-wrote, with her brother, "I Don't Wanna Fight", which was performed by Tina Turner on the soundtrack to What's Love Got to Do with It (1993).
At 44, Lulu finally topped the UK charts with a cover of "Relight My Fire" with Take That. She contributed to the soundtrack of the Tim Rice/Elton John musical "Aida" (1999),fronted her own short-lived prime-time UK lottery show on BBC TV, Red Alert with the National Lottery (1999),and starred in the film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999).
In 2002, Lulu released an album of duets entitled "Together", featuring collaborations with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Cliff Richard, Sting, and Ronan Keating, along with a best-selling autobiography. In 2003, she released her "Greatest Hits" album, which debuted at #35 in the UK charts.
Throughout her career, Lulu has received numerous honors, including being awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire at the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to entertainment and Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to entertainment, music, and charity.
