Jo Jo Laine
Jo Jo Laine (born Joanne LaPatrie, Danvers, Massachusetts, July 13, 1952— London, October 29, 2006) [1] was an American singer, model and actress who married Moody Blues founder Denny Laine while he was a member of Paul McCartney's group Wings. Originally a groupie[1] who had affairs with Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix and many other artists, she had a lengthy relationship with Rod Stewart just before her meeting Laine. Stewart is said to have written the hit song "You Wear It Well" for her and in the foreword to her autobiography (as yet unpublished) wrote "You wore it well then, Jo Jo, and you wear it well now." Ginger Baker wrote the last page of her book saying - very affectionately - "No sane man would go near her."
Biography
Recording artist
She recorded with Sting and Andy Summers of The Police on her Pye Records 45 RPM "Hulk" (the B side is "Dancing Man"; the musicians from the Police possibly appearing only on the A side), and with Ray Fenwick of the group Fancy in a band called Jo Jo Laine & The Firm on Mercury Records. She was friends with the members of Led Zeppelin and rumor has it when Jimmy Page wanted the name The Firm, there were no objections from Laine. She dated producer Jimmy Miller from 1986 to 1988, and Miller produced a number of sides for her, including a remake of Gerry Goffin & Carole King's Herman's Hermits hit "(I'm Into) Something Good," which Laine changed to "I'm in for Something Good!"
In 1986 she managed a British group called The Mannish Boys. She also performed in the Boston band Gear.
From 1991 to 1996, Laine and her children lived on the estate of Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath.[1]
Memoirs
Her memoirs appeared in the British tabloid “Sunday People” in a series of articles on April 17, April 18 and May 1, 1983.[2]
Death
Jo Jo Laine died at St George's Hospital, Tooting, London, at age 54 after a fall at her former home Yew Corner, in Laleham, Surrey. She is survived by three children: British Delta-Blues style vocalist, guitarist, and professional audio technician Laine Hines; his sister, recording artist, rock & soul vocalist, songwriter, and dedicated mother of two, Heidi-Jo Hines (both from her marriage to Denny Laine); and a son Boston O'Donohue, from a relationship with Peter O'Donohue. O'Donohue was known for his involvement with the notorious 1986 Kightsbridge Safety Deposit Box Robbery in High Kensington, London, for an estimated 60 million GBP, for which he served 8 out of a 10-year sentence. Upon completion, O'Donohue ran the '95 London Marathon in 3 Hours and 48 Minutes, and handed his medal to his son. It was stolen by Geoffrey Juliana/Giuliano among many other of JoJo's memorabilia she had at the time.
References
- 1 2 3 Jo-Jo Laine Obituary
- ↑ The McCartney File: A Comprehensive Guide to His Life and Career, compiled by Bill Harry (Virgin Books Ltd., London, 1986, 192 pages)
External links
- Jo Jo Laine website at the Wayback Machine (archived February 13, 2007)
- Daily Telegraph obituary
- Daily Mail article about Jo Jo Laine and her daughter with Denny Laine, Heid i
- Daily Mail article: Jo Jo Laine, Queen of the Rock Chicks (Oct. 30, 2006)
- Heidi Jo Hines interview