Lulu, 77, received a plaque honouring her musical achievements at the first ever Music Heritage Trail in Glasgow. The singer, born in Lennoxtown and raised in Glasgow, unveiled the inaugural plaque at a civic ceremony hosted by The Lord Provost at the City Chambers on Thursday night.
Plaque to mark discovery site
The enamel Blue Plaque will eventually be placed on the former Lindella Club on Union Street in Glasgow city centre, where the Shout hitmaker was discovered aged 14. The project will place ten blue plaques at sites of historic music significance across the city, celebrating the achievements of Glasgow's most successful artistes and venues.
Lewis Capaldi, Simple Minds, Belle and Sebastian, Texas and Wet Wet Wet will also be honoured in the new heritage trail, which has been launched by ScotsRock in association with Nordoff and Robbins.
Iconic venues recognised
Lulu attended the ceremony with her sister Edwina Reason, alongside other Glaswegian artists. Iconic locations including King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, where Oasis were discovered, the headquarters of record label Postcard, and the site of the former Apollo concert hall will also be recognised in a series of new blue plaques.
Other spots earmarked for plaques include Renfrew Street, where Simple Minds played their first gig at Satellite City; Osborne Street, where Wet Wet Wet recorded Love Is All Around; Bentinck Street, where Belle and Sebastian's first album was recorded; and Bain Street, where Lewis Capaldi played his first headline gig at Saint Luke's.
Further honours and upcoming speech
Additional plaques will be erected at the SEC Centre, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, and Pollokshaws Road, where Texas recorded their first music. Lulu has supported a wide range of charitable causes over her long career and was awarded a CBE in 2021 for services to charity, music and entertainment. She also represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 in Madrid, winning with her performance of "Boom Bang-a-Bang".
The singer is set to deliver a keynote speech at the inaugural Scottish Recovery Awards on October 9, an event celebrating Scotland's drug and alcohol recovery community. Lulu previously described herself as a "highly functioning alcoholic" but, after a successful stint in rehab, is now 13 years sober. The event will be held at Voco Grand Central in Glasgow, highlighting staff and organisations helping Scotland's efforts to cut drug and alcohol-related deaths.
