As Lulu prepares for her farewell tour, she talks of her enduring love for music and the importance of her working class roots
WORDS: ALISON JAMES
It’s almost impossible to believe that it’s 60 years since a pint-sized, red-headed, powerhouse of a teenager from Glasgow with a killer voice burst onto the pop scene with the song Shout.
Originally an Isley Brothers number but one which this wee lass subsequently made entirely her own, it’s the song that launched a six-decade long career – and still counting. Her unforgettable intro of “Well-ell-ell-ell-ell...” is instantly recognisable to this day.
However, the more recent tag of “Champagne for Lulu!” – coined by Absolutely Fabulous creator Jennifer Saunders for the scenes in the sitcom where Lulu appeared, as herself, as PR Edina Monsoon’s disgruntled client – also looks likely to go down in showbiz history. Indeed, it is the title of Lulu’s tour which kicks off in April.
“Thank you, Jennifer!” Lulu smiles. “Wherever I go in the world, people call out ‘Champagne for Lulu!’ So, when we were thinking of a name for the tour, it was just perfect. Yes, it’s my farewell tour. Heck, I’m 75! I don’t feel it but I am, and while I love my music and singing and performing more than ever, touring is just so gruelling.
“This farewell tour is a celebration with... some very special guests!”
Lulu’s not letting on who although as she counts Gary Barlow and Sir Elton John as close friends both are a possibility!
However, her fans should rest assured that she has absolutely no intention of not working once the tour is over.
“I’ll be doing gigs in the future but no more tours. I’m going to do a new album, there’s a book in the works, possibly a documentary, and I want to do more acting.”
She recently starred in Sky movie Arthur’s Whisky with celebrated actresses Diane Keaton and Patricia Hodge but “Nana Lu”, as her two grandchildren Bella (13) and Teddy (11) call her, is no novice to acting.
Rewind to 1967 where she starred in iconic movie To Sir With Love with Sidney Poitier. Her West End debut was in the Richard Eyre National Theatre production of Guys And Dolls; she starred in Peter Pan, played Tom Courtenay’s wife in Whatever Happened To Harold Smith, earned rave reviews in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Song & Dance, and very successfully stepped into Julie Walters’ formidable shoes playing Pauline Mole in the much-loved The Secret Diary Of A
