Cleo Laine, cuya voz de contralto ronca era una de las más distintivas del jazz y quien fue considerada por muchos como la mayor contribución de Gran

I don’t consider myself a jazz singer… I’m a singer of songs,” said the vocal star, who won a Grammy in the Best Female Jazz Vocal Performance category.

On Friday, Cleo Laine's death was confirmed by the Stables, a British arts center that she founded with her late husband, John Dankworth. She was 97.