Voting Station

Cleo Laine

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Vocalist

The Resume

    (October 28, 1927- )
    Born in Southall, England, United Kingdom
    Birth name was Clementina Dinah Campbell
    Jazz singer and actress
    Recorded the albums 'Meet Cleo Laine' (1957), 'Spotlight on Cleo' (1961), 'Shakespeare and All That Jazz' (1964), 'The Unbelievable Miss Cleo Laine' (1969), 'I Am A Song' (1973), 'Porgy & Bess' (with Ray Charles, 1976), 'Best Friends' (with John Williams, 1976), 'Sometimes When We Touch' (with James Galway, 1980), 'Smilin' Through' (with Dudley Moore, 1982), 'Cleo at Carnegie: The 10th Anniversary Concert' (1985), 'Woman to Woman' (1989), 'Solitude' (1995) and 'Quality Time' (2002)
    Appeared on Broadway in 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' (1985)
    Appeared on the London stage in 'Valmouth' (1959), 'A Time to Laugh' (1962), 'Show Boat' (1971) and 'Colette' (1980)
    Named a Dame Commander of the British Empire (1987)

Why she might be annoying:

    Before becoming a professional singer, she worked as an assistant hairdresser, a librarian and a pawnshop clerk.
    She claimed, 'When I hear myself, I don't like it.... What comes out is mellow and soft, yet what I want to try to achieve is an edge in my voice.'
    She announced the death of her husband of 51 years, bandleader John Dankworth, at a concert before the last number. (That may be taking the whole 'the show must go on' philosophy a little too far.)

Why she might not be annoying:

    She has a multi-octave vocal range.
    When she made her New York City debut (1972), the New York Times declared, 'The British have been hiding one of their national treasures.'
    When she won her first Grammy in 1986, Ella Fitzgerald sent a dozen roses and the note, 'Congratulations, gal -- It's about time!'
    She is the first female singer to be nominated for Grammys in the pop, jazz and classical fields.
    After giving a series of concerts to mark her 80th birthday, she said, 'I don't think about being 80. What would be the point? I'm limping a bit because they've given me a new knee, but that's about the only difference.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 24 Votes: 54.17% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 21 Votes: 38.10% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 15 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 139 Votes: 68.35% Annoying