In the 1990s she branched out in a new direction when she first appeared in the musical Blood Brothers playing Mrs Johnstone. Born in Wythenshawe in Manchester, Lyn is now 68 and is married with one son.
“I first went on stage at the age of three, when I played a flower in a school pantomime. I went to dancing school and when I was 14 I formed a trio with two girl friends of mine, Christine and Doreen. We called ourselves the Chrys-Do-Lyns. It was great groundwork and a terrific rehearsal for later on.
“We played working-men’s clubs around Manchester. Once the tape recorder with the backing kept on playing after the end of a song and another time the microphones weren’t working but they loved us.
“Perhaps it was because we had a naïve charm! Our dance teacher Joan Lawrence chaperoned us when we went to Germany to entertain the troops as we were too young to travel alone.
“I auditioned for a group called The Nocturnes and joined them a week before my 18th birthday. We were like an early New Seekers in that we had four boys and two girls. We became very popular, appearing at the Mecca Ballrooms. We recorded at Abbey Road studios in London.”
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“Eve Graham was also in the group. How we got in to the New Seekers, who were formed in 1969, was complicated, but to cut a long story short I helped her and she helped me. The days with the New Seekers were tremendous, fabulous times.
“We had two number ones – the first, I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing, sold over 12 million copies. We were regularly on television, appearing on Top Of The Pops and shows like The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special.
“In 1972 we represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest and came second with Beg, Steal Or Borrow. We had a lot of success and I think it’s a shame that our records rarely get played on the radio these days because they were great songs.
“The Who said that our version of Pinball Wizard was their favourite. I sang lead vocals on our second number one You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me, which topped the charts in early 1974, but ironically the group was already splitting up then (it later reformed).”
“I had a top 40 hit with It Oughta Sell A Million in 1975. But after I went solo I didn’t handle my career as well as I should have done. In the 80s and for most of 90s I kept trying to earn a living, playing in cabaret clubs.
“Then in 1997 my life changed again. Carl Wayne of The Move had been playing the narrator in Blood Brothers and he suggested I audition for a part. But I hadn’t done any acting before.
“My mum told me to write to the producer Bill Kenwright. ‘He’s a nice man,’ she said. She based that on seeing him on television in Coronation Street, but she was right! Bill wrote back and three weeks later I was in rehearsals.
“I’ve been so lucky with Blood Brothers. Earlier this month we began a five-month tour. “My family means everything to me. My son Ryan is 28 years old and when he says ‘Mum’ – well, for me, it’s the best word of all!”