Dame Cleo Laine has passed away.
The lady with the incomparable voice, who became a star of the musical and theatre-worlds, was 97 years old.
Cleo's relationship with jazz-man and ace composer Sir John Dankworth made them a formidable force, and one that endured for more than 50 years, until John's passing in 2010.
Dame Cleo with her partner in music and life, Sir John Dankworth
During one of our interviews, John had recalled their initial meeting: “She sang Stormy Weather I think,” he said, “The pianist and I both sat up – we couldn't believe our ears. She really was very good.
“In the interval when she wasn't there I said to the other guys, 'Do you think she's got something?' and the trumpet player said 'I think she's got everything.'
Cleo and John were together musically from that point on, but it would be a couple of years before they would connect away from the music. They married in 1958.
John and Cleo didn't just lead together – their respective careers glittered too.
Cleo duetted on an album with Ray Charles, appeared with Frank Sinatra for a week-long season of shows at The Royal Albert Hall, and was the only female to have been nominated for a grammy in the jazz, popular and classical music categories.
In the studio with Ray Charles
When the Old Rectory at Wavendon came on the market in the new city of Milton Keynes, John and Cleo set about bringing music to the town – by founding The Stables.
It was challenging on every level, turning a dilapidated building into a world-class music venue, but that's exactly what they did.
Saxophonist Benny Green recalled the time he saw the venue to be: “John guided me across a courtyard, through a door and onto some rough ground on which stood a sort of derelict barn.
“When we got inside John sdaid to me, 'And this is the theatre!' I thought he was off his head!”
But passion would win out against the ridiculous and hard toil put paid to pesky leaks and other venue ailments: “ We were very hands on,” Cleo said, “There was nobody else to be.
“There was paint on the carpet for a long time that I has spilt, and John used to point out to people, 'That's what Cleo did!'”
When the venue opened its doors, it hosted more than 50 shows in its first year, giving MK residents an opportunity to enjoy musical A-listers on their doorstep, something that continues to this day – 55 years later.
Artists who have performed here include Amy Winehouse, Dr John, Dave Brubeck, Arthur Lee, Cream members Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker and Rolling Stone Charlie Watts.
But you could fill a weighty book with all the artists who have appeared, and every one of those performances was made possible by Cleo and John's vision and unwavering passion for sounds.
On the Muppets show
Music was all pervading at Wavendon, whether on the stage or in the home – and friends who would often join them at the piano included Dudley Moore and Princess Margaret.
In 2002, London's Royal Albert Hall was the venue for their Golden Music Jubilee Concert, a star-studded event which included Beatles producer Sir George Martin and Bruce Forsyth.
The secret of John and Cleo's enduring relationship? It wasn't to do with unity, trust or support, but something much simpler: “People ask about the secret of our marriage and the truth is you mudst have two bathrooms,” he had told me, with a twinkle in his eye, “Whatever other luxury you can't afford or dont have, you've got to have two bathrooms, because one bathroom can be the cause of strife, splits, quarrels and homicides!”
The venue Cleo co-founded with her husband, The Stables at Wavendon
John passed away in 2010 – the day The Stables celebrated its 40th anniversary. Showing remarkable strength, Cleo insisted the show must go on.
“John would have done the same if it was me,” she had told me.
Cleo continued to sing until recent years when ill health prevented us from hearing her live, but her faultless voice, which The New York Times calls 'one of the great voices of the world,' will live on through an exceptional, and staggeringly large, array of releases.
Sammy Jones
Pics: MKWFS Archive/Dankworth Family
