Jo Jo Laine

Jo Jo Laine (July 13, 1953—October 29, 2006) 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. A jet-setter who had affairs with Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith and many other artists, she had a lengthy relationship with Rod Stewart just prior to her meeting Denny 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is said to have written the hit song "You Wear It Well" for her and in the foreword to her autobiography (as yet unpublished) wrote "You wore it well then, Jo Jo, and you wear it well now."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

Though she is featured in an upcoming Beatles movie with images of being 15 years old and attending The Beatles 1966 show at Suffolk Downs in Revere, Massachusetts, it is her work as a recording artist which may be her most lasting legacy. 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 only appearing on the A side), and with Ray Fenwick of the group Fancy in a band called Jo Jo Laine & The Firm on Mercury Records. Jo Jo 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 Jo Jo. She met with Robert Plant backstage at the 1988 Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary party and reminisced about old times with her large entourage in tow. She was a magnetic celebrity who lit up the room - and she stayed on very good terms with many of her friends in the industry. Rod Stewart played soccer on the Boston Common with her oldest child, Laine Hines (son of Denny Laine whose real name is Brian Hines) and a crowd gathered as the classic rock station announced it on the air. Jo Jo was dating producer Jimmy Miller, famous for his work with Traffic and The Rolling Stones from about 1986 to 1988 and Miller produced a number of sides for Jo Jo including a remake of Gerry Goffin & Carole King's Herman's Hermits hit "(I'm Into) Something Good" which Jo Jo changed to "I'm in for Something Good!" Bernard "Pretty" Purdie appeared on two songs in 1988, Paul McCartney's "Blackbird" and a version of The Supremes "Baby Love" at Mission Control Studios. Those tracks are still unreleased. Jo Jo recorded a full album with The Couper Brothers who also backed Denny Laine in his first tour of America since he left Wings. Drummer/Engineer Jay Couper and his guitarist/keyboard player Scott Couper recorded a number of Beatles covers with Jo Jo singing.

In 1986 she managed a British group called The Mannish Boys. She also performed in the Boston band "Gear", which appeared on Boston stages like The Paradise Theater (where boxer Marvin Hagler and Producer Jimmy Miller both took to the stage). Jo Jo also sang with Buddy Guy attending an electrifying performance by Buddy at a Rhode Island nightclub with Miller and blues singer Genya Ravan onstage with Buddy. Much classic material was recorded in the 80s and when it is released Jo Jo will be seen as an influential woman behind the scenes who effectively wore many hats. She often said, though, that her greatest achievement was raising her three children and when her daughter, Heidi-Jo Hines, gave birth to two grandchildren Jo Jo could not have been happier or more proud.

Memoirs

Jo Jo was working on her memoirs when a notorious author of books on The Beatles used material from her book against her wishes. She was a rock wife and a celebrity who appeared on numerous TV shows. She talked about her friendship with Jimi Hendrix and Keith Moon with U.K. television producer Dan Clapton about a year before her untimely passing.

She had sexual relationships with many rock stars, leading to her being described as a "groupie" in her obituary. [1]

Death

Jo Jo Laine died at a London Hospital at the age of 53, following a fall at her former home, the "House On Pooh Corner" where A. A. Milne was said to have written Winnie the Pooh. It's a strange twist of fate that she passed away on her ex-husband Denny Laine's 63rd birthday, October 29, 2007. She had been fighting liver cancer since May 2006. She is survived by three children, British guitarist Laine Hines and his sister, recording artist Heidi-Jo Hines, both from her marriage to Denny Laine, and another son, disc jockey Boston O'Donohue, from a relationship she had with Peter O'Donohue.

In another sad and strange twist of fate her high school sweetheart, Brad Delp of the group Boston, read an article in North Shore Sunday newspaper and noted to her publicist on February 10th, 2007 that it was there he found about her passing. Delp was going to sit down on camera and talk about his time with his old friend Joanne, the two having lived on the same street in Danvers, Massachusetts in their youth, until his untimely passing on March 9th, 2007. Delp was with Jo Jo Laine when she got the news that one of her brothers had shot her father.

Jo Jo's death sent shockwaves through her community of friends and family. One of her joys was her MySpace site where many old friends contacted her in the last two years or so of her life. She was also a practicing wiccan.

Though she was offered a record deal prior to her death the contract was never signed so her estate is considering when and how to release the material.

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