Lulu Artistfacts

November 3, 1948
Lulu was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie in Lennoxtown near Glasgow, Scotland. The name "Lulu" was given to her as a stage name by her manager, Marion Massey, when she was 14 years old. Massey thought the name suited her because of her vibrant personality and powerful singing voice, describing her as "a real lulu of a kid."
She first found fame at just 15 years old with her rousing cover of The Isley Brothers' "Shout," which reached #7 on the UK charts in 1964.
Lulu was 15 when she met The Beatles for the first time Paul McCartney tapped her on the head and said, "Hi Lou," a moment so huge for her, she's still starstruck by it decades later.
Looking back on pictures of her teenage self, Lulu told the UK's This Morning show she can see the little girl who was "trying so hard to be cool" while feeling overwhelmed inside.
Lulu made her film debut in 1967's "To Sir With Love," starring alongside Sidney Poitier and singing the film's title song, which became a #1 hit in the US: remarkably, it never charted in the UK. She is the only British artist to have a #1 single on the American charts with a song that didn't chart in the UK.
In 1969, Lulu represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with "Boom Bang-a-Bang" and was one of four joint winners due to a tie.
Lulu sang the theme song for the 1974 James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun.
She was married twice: first to Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees (1969–1973), and then to celebrity hairstylist John Frieda (1977–1991), with whom she has a son, Jordan Frieda.
Lulu's career spans six decades, and she is one of only two performers (alongside Cliff Richard) to have sung on Top of the Pops in each of the five decades the show aired.
She won the UK's "Rear of the Year" award in 1983. Other singers who have been awarded the coveted derriere distinction over the years include Suzi Quatro, Elaine Paige, Lynsey de Paul and Charlotte Church.
Lulu's 1993 collaboration with Take That, "Relight My Fire," became her first and only UK #1 single.
Lulu was awarded an OBE in 2000 for her services to music, which was upgraded to a CBE in 2021.

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