Cleo Laine

Cleo Laine (born 1927) is an internationally celebrated singer, who has performed opera and starred in musicals and serious theatre, as well as being Britain’s most celebrated jazz singer from more than five decades. Born of an English mother and Jamaican father in Southall, she sang from early age. Her break came in 1951 when she auditioned successfully for saxophonist John Dankworth‘s band. Following her marriage to Dankworth in 1958, she forged a solo career and began to make a name for herself as a versatile actress notably in ‘Showboat’, ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ and ‘Into The Woods’.

In 1969, John and Cleo founded the Stables Theatre in Wavendon, an innovative charity and performance space which is still going strong today. The 1970s saw them touring the world performing sell out concerts throughout the world including at Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and Birdland Jazz Club. Laine has won Grammy awards for her jazz albums, as well as being nominated in both the classical and pop categories. She has worked with Ray Charles, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Dudley Moore, John Williams, and a vast array of jazz legends in USA and Britain. In 1997, she was appointed Dame Cleo Laine DBE. She has continued to perform worldwide since the death of Sir John Dankworth in February 2010.

Key Recordings:

Shakespeare And All That Jazz (Philips 1964)
Cleo At Carnegie Hall (RCA 1983)
Jazz (RCA 1991)