Born in London, England,[1] of Latvian/Jewish immigrant stock, Laurie was a bandleader and self-taught clarinet player.
He played with Mike Daniels in 1949-50 and led the Cy Laurie Four in 1950, with Fred Hunt and Les Jowett.
[1] Laurie was a leading figure in the post 1945 trad jazz boom in the UK.
[2] He ran his own club in Great Windmill Street, Soho, London from 1951 and headed a seven-member ensemble;[1] sidemen in this group included Chris Barber, Alan Elsdon, Al Fairweather, Graham Stewart and Colin Smith.
[3] He quit music from 1960 to 1968,[1] and travelled to India to study meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.