Lorie was born Barbara Burke on the 21st of December 1931 in Paddington, West London and attended St. Augustine's School in Kilburn. She was the eldest of five children born to William and Iris Burke and as a child undertook singing and dancing lessons.

Along with the rest of her family she was evacuated to Wales during the Second World War, and entertained the troops at the young age of twelve.

Later she joined an acrobatic group called Oika Troika - you can see her bending over backwards in one of the photos at left. She met her future husband, Austin Newman, at Butlins Holiday Camp in Scarborough where she also worked and he later became her manager - he was also the manager of stars such as Helen Shapiro, Donovan, Nancy Whiskey, and the King Brothers to name a few.

Lorie appeared and sang in several advertisements for Timex watches and VP wine amongst others.

She was a guest on the Dave King Show and appeared in Jazz Jamboree at the Gaumont State Theatre in Kilburn on Sunday 23rd June 1958 as vocalist with the Oscar Rabin Orchestra.

Her most popular recording was a version of Brook Benton's 'So Many Ways/I Wonder' released in 1959 on Top Rank Records JAR 237. Other releases for that label included JAR 116 'A Penny A Kiss, A Penny A Hug' and 'Just Keep It Up/You Made Me Care' on JAR 148.

Unfortunately her marriage failed and she and her husband were divorced. Sadly, Lorie suffered a stroke and was never the same after that and died in 1998.