Cleo Laine, Britain’s most successful jazz singer, who straddled jazz, classical, pop and musical theatre with a four-octave range, performed with the greats like Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra and collaborated for decades with husband, jazz musician John Dankworth has died aged 97. The Sunday Times once described her as “quite simply the best singer in the world.”
She was born 28 October 1927 4.05 am (rectified) Hayes, England, with a Jamaican WW1 veteran father, who sometimes sang on the streets for money, and set her sights on the stage very young singing in community centres at 3 and acting in her first film at 12. Though it took to her mid twenties to have her talents recognized when she joined the Johnny Dankworth Seven, an established jazz group. She later acted on stage and screen as well as singing through a long career which found her still giving occasional concerts into her 90s.
She had a determined Sun Mars in Scorpio on one leg of a yod sextile Neptune exactly conjunct Regulus inconjunct Uranus – destined to carve out her own path and become a trailblazer. Her influential Pluto in her 10th was in a creative Water Grand Trine to an intense Mercury in Scorpio and a lucky/confident trine to Jupiter in Pisces. Her Jupiter was in a charming opposition to Venus. Her Sagittarius Moon was conjunct Saturn, a testament to her non-stop working career.
She had a second marriage to Johnny Dankworth which lasted over fifty years till his death with two children who are both jazz performers.
Johnny Dankworth, born 27 September 1927 London, a month before her but was a strikingly different temperament. He had a Sun Mars conjunct as well as Moon Mercury all in Libra – as opposed to her Scorpio stellium.
That apart the other placings are similar and both had Venus in Virgo.
Her yod focal point Uranus opposed his Sun which would suit two busy careers with some separations and may also point to him being pivotal to the start of her professional singing career and being a constant companions thereafter as she built a standout reputation. There was no one quite like her.
The post Cleo Laine – musical Neptune Regulus first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
