Lulu once combined Led Zeppelin, Cream and the Bee Gees for a forgotten pop song

2 September 2025, 11:46

Countless incredible voices came out of pop music in the 1960s.

The likes of Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Janis Joplin, Tom Jones, Otis Redding, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Mama Cass, Robert Plant, Tina Turner, Jim Morrison, and Shirley Bassey all spring to mind.

Bear in mind, that's just a minuscule array of the talent that was carried along the airwaves on what was a radical decade for music.

Yes, rock music might've been the real game changer throughout a time when the counterculture reigned supreme.

But there were plenty of artists in the pop realm that could pack a punch with their voices, and go shoulder to shoulder with rock greats.

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When you think of artists whose voices truly soared, Lulu was certainly one of them.

The Scottish firecracker burst into the charts with her cover of The Isley Brothers' iconic hit 'Shout'.

It was 1964, and Lulu was just 15 years old at the time. But as she grew as an artist, she could hold her own with the scene's biggest players.

Case and point with her 1971 single 'Everybody Clap', where she pulled together members from Led Zeppelin, Cream, and the Bee Gees in a true one-off.

Ok, one of those aforementioned members was her husband, Maurice Gibb, who was famously one of three brothers in the Bee Gees.

But gathering Led Zeppelin's virtuoso (and hell-raising) drummer John 'Bonzo' Bonham alongside Cream's powerhouse bassist Jack Bruce was also some feat.

Bruce was a fellow RSO artist, so he had an association with the Bee Gees' manager Robert Stigwood, but wasn't otherwise in his musical circle.

Bonham, on the other hand, was a friend and drinking buddy, who just also happened to be the most formidable drummer in the world at the time.

'Shout', which she performed as Lulu & the Luvvers was undoubtedly a defining moment in her career, as it reached No.7 in the UK charts.

Though, when she married Maurice in 1969, Lulu was soon keeping company with a scene of musicians that would were in the process of becoming legendary.

Maurice clearly had friends in high places, so he assembled a crack team of incredible musicians to play on a song he'd written for his wife.

His brother Robin Gibb had recently re-joined the Bee Gees after a brief but acrimonious departure, which meant Maurice's songwriting contributions were squeezed out again.

As a means of securing his own songwriting credits, Maurice began writing songs for other artists, including his wife.

Penned by Gibb and songwriter Billy Lawrie - who was Lulu's brother - the musicians congregated in London's Nova Sound Studios the day after the turn of 1971.

With Bonham, Bruce and guitarist Lesley Harvey in the studio, the band cut 'Everybody Clap' with Lulu belting out vocals.

Brother Billy was on backing vocals, whilst the all-star backing band each played their parts efficiently and groovily.

Lulu - Everybody's Got to Clap | Live at the BBC on Top of the Pops

Not long after 'Everybody Clap' was laid on tape, Lulu had secured the chance to perform the song on Top Of The Pops.

Her husband Maurice even performed alongside her on the coveted television show.

That and dance troupe Pan's People, who flounced around as merrily as the glam rock stomper permitted.

Unfortunately, 'Everybody Clap' didn't perform well despite the considerable airtime on television and the radio. It didn't even dent the top 50 in the UK charts.

Though the single didn't exactly go to plan, Lulu made a dear friend out of the recording experience with John Bonham.

Though the pair didn't remain in each other's pockets from then onwards, Lulu has been effusive about the Led Zeppelin drummer in the years since.

In an interview with his brother Mick Bonham for his 2005 posthumous book John Bonham: The Powerhouse Behind Led Zeppelin, Lulu called him a "genius".

"John was the most awesome drummer, a genius; I don't think I've seen a drummer to compare with John," she gushed.

"When in London recording, he would visit our house along with Robert Plant, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. Brother Billy and Maurice would be there, and we would party into the night. I would hang out as long as possible, trying to be one of the boys. It was great fun whenever we met."

Lulu spent plenty of time with Bonzo and his wife Pat, and couldn't believe the stories she heard about his antics on tour with Led Zeppelin.

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"People said things about John, which I could not believe; I never saw it in all the time I knew him," she went on to say.

"We went on holiday to the South of France with Pat and John and had a fantastic holiday. When we stayed with them, they were the perfect hosts, even giving up their bedroom so we would be more comfortable."

"While we were there, we met their son Jason, who at six was an incredible talent playing drums like a gut many years older.

Revealing how she wanted people to remember John by, after his untimely passing on 25th September 1980, she said: "John was very generous, and incredibly passionate, which allowed him to play the way he did."

"John and I had a lot in common. It was not about being a star, or about doing it to become rich and famous, it was doing it because it's in every fibre of your body."

"That's why I think it's kind of sweet that I am able to say I knew him."