As the world of jazz mourns the legendary singer Cleo Laine, let's bring you a photo which reveals a significant Shropshire step on her path to greatness.
Shrewsbury photo captures historic moment in jazz legend's career
That's Cleo lounging on the chair on the right, and on the extreme right, almost off the photo altogether, is Johnny Dankworth, who himself was a jazz world legend.
The picture was taken at Shropshire Press Ball held at the Music Hall in Shrewsbury and was loaned to us by Gordon Riley, one of the founders of the event, who explained that it captured a historic moment in Cleo's career.
They had, he said, booked Johnny Dankworth's band.
"With Dankworth that night was Cleo Laine on her first gig on tour with the outfit.
“Later she became Johnny’s wife, and of course the pair went on to be famous on the jazz stages of the world," said Gordon.
As well-known Shropshire journalist Gordon, who died in 2010, was renowned as a stickler for accuracy, we can take his word for it that this was Cleo's first public appearance with the band on tour, although Gordon didn't have an exact date.
However, Cleo had teamed up with Dankworth in 1951, and as the act booked for the very first Shropshire Press Ball in January 1952 was Ted Heath and his Orchestra, perhaps it was in 1953 that Cleo and Dankworth came to Shrewsbury.
Gordon and his wife Freda are second and third from the left. Gordon would end up as chairman of the press ball, which raised money for national and local charities.
He had begun his journalism career at the age of 15 on the Wellington Journal and Shrewsbury News, becoming chief reporter, and would be the first news editor of the Shropshire Star when the paper was launched in 1964.
Later he would become the media man for Telford Development Corporation.
As Cleo and Johnny spent a lot of time on the road, we imagine that press ball gig will have been just the first of a number of concerts in Shropshire over the years, and we can shine the photographic focus on at least one of them, when they graced Ludlow Summer Festival in July 1968.
The venue was St Laurence's Church, and at the beginning of the show it was announced that the Bishop of Hereford, Dr Mark Hodson, felt that applause should be allowed.
Our reviewer, Sean Milmo, wrote: "The audience, which almost filled the large church, took him at his word. Clapping was wildly enthusiastic. At the end it was so strong and the stamping of feet on the ground so loud that Cleo Laine was forced to come back for several encores...
"She has an incredibly versatile voice which can be raw yet subtle, earthly yet sensuous."
