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Irish Independent
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Obituary: Cleo Laine, Grammy-winning jazz singer with a striking stage presence
Vocalist formed an enduring partnership with her husband John Dankworth Cleo Laine, the singer and actor who has died aged 97, was not only the best jazz vocalist that Britain ever produced, but was also one of the most versatile and enduring musicians from any part of the world. With a voice that could soar easily from a throaty C below middle C through a honeyed contralto to high-pitched trills on top A, Laine sang from the mid-1950s until well into the 21st century, becoming the only performer to receive Grammy nominations in the female jazz, popular and classical categories. She also won jazz lifetime achievement prizes, cut gold and platinum hits (Feel The Warm, Sometimes When We Touch) and, over the decades, appeared in theatre and on numerous television shows. Her marriage to John Dankworth, the jazz clarinettist, saxophonist, arranger and band leader, was one of the most enduring and successful partnerships in music history. A Cleo Laine song was usually a Dankworth setting, daring and enlivened by delightfully unexpected touches. Quite early in their partnership, Dankworth began devising unison passages for saxophone and wordless scat-singing which exploited the wild gypsy streak in Laine. These became a hallmark of many of her most memorable performances. With astonishing green eyes, high cheekbones and a mop of frizzy auburn hair, Laine was always professional, with a striking stage presence and an actor's timing and sensitivity to the meaning of words. Yet perhaps the most remarkable thing about her was that she was largely self-taught. She was born Clementine Dinah Campbell in Southall, which was then in Middlesex, on October 28, 1927, one of three children. After Laine was born, her parents went through a wedding ceremony despite the fact that her mother was already married. Together they ran a cafe and then a boarding house for Irish labourers. At the age of three she began performing at parties, working-men's clubs and Salvation Army meetings. At school she began to harbour hopes of a showbusiness career, inspired by the black singers she saw in musicals such as Cabin in the Sky and by her brother Alexander's collection of jazz records. Aged 12, she played one of a crowd of street urchins in Alexander Korda's Thief of Bagdad (1940). She left school at 14 and worked variously as a hairdresser's apprentice, a milliner, a cobbler and as assistant to a pawnbroker. At the same time she auditioned for singing jobs, but without success. At 18 she married George Langridge, a local builder with whom she had a son. ADVERTISEMENT Eventually, she was offered 32 shillings to do a one-night stand at the local Labour Party's New Year's Eve party. The bass player there suggested that she should audition for the Johnny Dankworth Seven, one of the country's leading jazz groups, who were looking for a female did not take much notice of her until she opened her mouth to sing; she chose Embraceable You and Paper Moon. It was the band that decided, by drawing suggestions out of a hat, that she should change her name to Cleo Laine. The next year she polled second in Melody Maker's Girl Singer of the Year category. She won the poll in 1956 and 1957. Cleo fell madly in love with Dankworth and left her husband and son to live alone in a flat in Kilburn High Road. They eventually married in 1958. She made her West End debut as a masseuse in Sandy Wilson's musical adaptation of the Ronald Fairbank novel Valmouth (Saville, 1959). She had her first film role as a singer in Tennessee Williams's The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone (1961). Dankworth was knighted in 2006 and died in 2010. She is survived by the son of her first marriage, and by their daughter, Jacqui, a singer, and son, Alec, a bassist who played with Dave Brubeck and with his father's band. Another son, Stuart, died in 2019.
Calgary Herald
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
'It's a lovely payoff': Glass Tiger, Sum 41 among the six artists inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in Calgary on Thursday night
Article content It seemed a very Canadian moment: Quiet, modest, a little self-deprecating. Article content At the National Music Centre on Thursday evening prior to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, the first of six inductees to hit the red carpet was singer-songwriter Dan Hill. Article content While these events tend to be fuelled by the mutual admiration, attendees seemed to be particularly enthused about Hill finally being inducted nearly 50 years after scoring the global hit Sometimes When We Touch. Article content Article content These days, the soft-spoken songwriter may be better known for his work behind-the-scenes writing and producing hits for stars such as Celine Dion, Britney Spears, The Backstreet Boys and Rod Stewart. But the respect from his peers was apparent. Country singer Beverley Mahood, who inducted Hill into the Hall of Fame later that night, snuck up behind him for a hug when he was being interviewed. Fellow 2025 inductee and Quebecois singer Ginette Reno said she wanted to hug him. 'I'm looking forward to taking him in my arms and holding him,' she said. Article content Article content 'Dan I know probably better than anybody,' he said. 'If anybody deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, it's Dan Hill.' Article content Hill, on the other hand, showed some genuine Canadian modesty when asked how it felt to be inducted after a half-century in the business. Article content 'I thought I was being pranked,' he told Postmedia on the red carpet. 'I couldn't really believe it. I'm very humbled.' Article content Article content On Thursday, the National Music Centre held its third induction ceremony since 2019. Since opening in 2016, the centre has been the physical home of the Canadian Music All of Fame. Hill, Reno, Glass Tiger, pop-punk band Sum 41 and Celtic-classical singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt were in the class of 2025. Maestro Fresh Wes, who was inducted in into the Hall of Fame at the Junos in 2024 in Halifax, was also honoured. He is the first Canadian hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Article content The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences began inducting multiple artists in 2019 after realizing there were dozens of worthy contenders who had yet to honoured, far too many to be limited to one a year. The six artists were all on hand Thursday night. Article content There was a show-stopping performance by Reno, who turned 79 a few weeks ago, and a Glass Tiger medley to end the evening. Superstar Celine Dion made a surprise appearance, albeit via pre-recorded video, to honour Reno. The members of Sum 41 gathered for what will presumably be the last time after calling it quits this year after a 30-year career. Their final performance was in March during the Juno Awards in Vancouver.
Calgary Herald
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
New exhibit at NMC honours hitmakers being inducted into music hall of fame
Article content Countless artists have covered the iconic 1977 ballad Sometimes When We Touch, which earned Dan Hill entry into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021. He now joins three other Canadian musicians/groups being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Article content The National Music Centre in Calgary, where the music hall of fame is located, is launching an exhibit on May 7 dedicated to Hill, Québec chanteuse Ginette Reno, pop-rockers Glass Tiger, and Celtic-fusion singer Loreena McKennitt. A week later, on April 15, the four will be officially inducted during a ceremony at Studio Bell. Article content The exhibit will showcase photos, storytelling, and memorabilia from the four inductees. Highlights include a synthesizer and stage outfits from Glass Tiger, along with handwritten lyrics for My Town, signed by Rod Stewart. Also featured are a Montreal Canadiens jersey worn by Reno during multiple national anthem performances, along with McKennitt's harp and the ornate mask worn in her The Mummers' Dance music video. Article content Visitors can also get hands-on with two learn-to-play interactives, allowing fans to get lessons directly from this year's inductees – acoustic guitar with Dan Hill and synthesizer with Sam Reid of Glass Tiger. Article content 'The Canadian Music Hall of Fame exists to honour the artists whose music has shaped our cultural identity, and this year's inductees are nothing short of legendary,' said Andrew Mosker, president and CEO of the National Music Centre. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
