Godspeed Denny Laine

Denny Laine, founder, original lead singer, and guitarist of The Moody Blues and co-founder and guitarist for Wings, died today, December 5 2023, at the age of 79. The cause was interstitial lung disease.

Denny Laine was born Brian Frederick Hines in Tyseley, Birmingham, England on October 29 1944. He took up guitar when he was still very young. He was only 12 years old when he made his first solo performance. He started his career as a professional musician as the leader of Denny Laine and The Diplomats. The name "Denny" was a nickname and he took the surname Laine from his sister's favourite singer, Frankie Laine. Denny Laine simply felt that his given name, Brian Frederick Hines, "...wouldn't work."

It was in 1964 that he left The Diplomats. It was not long afterwards that Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder formed a new band with Graeme Edge and Denny Laine. They were originally called the M & B Five after the Mitchells & Butlers Brewery in Smethwick, which is near Birmingham. It was by the end of August 1964 that they became The Moody Blues, taking inspiration from the Duke Ellington song "Mood Indigo." Their first single, a cover of "Steal Your Heart Away" by Bobby Parker, was released in September 1964. It would be their second single, a cover of the Bessie Banks song "Go Now," that would become their first major hit. It reached no. 1 on the UK singles chart and no. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Moody Blues released a self-titled EP and the album The Magnificent Moodies.

Unfortunately, The Moody Blues were unable to follow up on the success of "Go Now." After several singles failed to reach the UK singles chart, Denny Laine left The Moody Blues in October 1966. After leaving The Moody Blues, he formed The Electric String Band. He also released two singles as a solo artist on the Deram label, "Say You Don't Mind" and "Too Much in Love." Both failed to chart. The Electric String Band broke up, after which Denny Laine joined Trevor Burton's supergroup Balls. That band broke up towards the end of 1969.

In 1970 Denny Laine played for a time with Ginger Baker's Air Force. In 1971 he formed Wings with Paul and Linda McCartney, and was the only member to remain with the band for all ten years of its existence. Wings proved to be successful, releasing seven studio albums and 29 singles. Both their albums and their singles regularly reached the tops of the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States. In the U.S. alone, six of their singles hit no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Even as he was part of Wings, Denny Laine released solo albums. Ahhh...Laine was released in 1973, Holly Days in 1977, and Japanese Tears in 1980. He released nine more solo albums from 1982 to 2008. He also played guitar and other instruments on many of Paul McCartney's solo albums in the Eighties.

Denny Laine was certainly a talented musician, singer, and songwriter. he co-wrote many of the B-sides of The Moody Blues' early singles, as well as various songs for Wings (including the hit "Mull of Kintyre."  As a singer he was capable of powerful, soulful vocals. If "Go Now" was a success, it may have well been because of Denny Laine's singing. He was also a bit of a pioneer. While The Electric String Band saw little success, it was one of the first rock bands to use electrified strings, pre-dating The Electric Light Orchestra by several years. Regardless, he was an integral part of The Moody Blues in their early days and an integral part of Wings throughout their career.