Long-Time Moody Blues Keyboardist Mike Pinder Passes On

Mike Pinder, a founding member of The Moody Blues and the band's long-time keyboardist, died on April 24 2024 at the age of 82. He had been suffering for many years from dementia.

Mike Pinder was born on December 27 1941 in Erdington, Birmingham. As a young adult he joined the band El Riot and The Rebels, which included future Moody Blues members Roy Thomas and John Lodge. He served for a time in the British Army. After returning to England, Mike Pinder played in a band called The Krew Cats, who played at some of the same venues in Germany as The Beatles. It around the same time he was in The Krew Cats that Mike Pinder worked as an engineer at Streetly Electronics, in Streetly, Birmingham. Streetly Electronics is notable for the first models of the Mellotron in the United Kingdom. The Mellotron is an electronic instrument that would prove pivotal in the history of The Moody Blues.

It was in May 1964 that Mike Pinder, Roy Thomas, Clint Warwick, Denny Laine, and Graeme Edge formed what was then called The M & B 5. The band was soon renamed The Moody Blues. The Moody Blues signed with Ridgepride, a label that leased their records to Decca. Their first single, a cover of Bobby Parker's "Steal Your Heart Away" saw little success, but their second single, "Go Now," proved to be a hit. It reached no. 1 on the UK singles chart and no. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their first album, The Magnificent Moodies (released as Go Now in the US) was released on July 23 1965.

Unfortunately, The Moody Blues were unable to immediately follow up the success of "Go Now." Their single ""I Don't Want to Go On Without You" only went to no. 33 on the UK singles chart. "From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)" went to no. 22. "Everyday" would be their last single to chart for a time, only going to no. 44 on the UK singles chart. Clint Warwick left the band in July 1966, retiring from the music business entirely. Frustrated by the band's lack of success, Denny Laine would also leave The Moody Blues. Clint Warwick and Denny Laine would be replaced by John Lodge and Justin Hayward.

Having been playing R&B covers and original material along the same lines, The Moody Blues eventually changed their style. The single "Fly Me High"/"I Really Haven't Got the Time" (the latter of which was written by Mike Pinder) marked move towards psychedelia. "Love and Beauty" by Mike Pinder would mark an even greater shift in style for the band, marking the first time the Mellontron was used on a Moody Blues song. It was in 1967 that The Moody Blues' groundbreaking album Days of Future Passed was released. The album combined orchestral elements with rock music and established the style for which The Moody Blues would become best known. The album would also prove to be a success. While it only reached no. 2 on the UK album chart, it reached no. 3 on the Billboard album chart. It was Mike Pinder who recited the spoken lines on the album on the tracks "Morning Glory," and "Late Lament."

The Moody Blues would continue to release successful albums from the late Sixties into the Seventies. Mike Pinder sang and wrote many songs during this period, particularly those featuring a classical influence. He wrote the B-side for the band's 1968 single "Ride My See-Saw," "A Simple Game," for which he won an Ivor Novello Award. His song "So Deep Within You" was later covered by The Four Tops. For John Lennon's album Imagine he was a guest on the songs "I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier (I Don't Wanna Die)" and "Jealous Guy."

The Moody Blues went on hiatus in 1974. Mike Pinder moved to Southern California that same year. He recorded his first solo album, The Promise, which was released in 1976. The Moody Blues regrouped in 1977 for the album Octave. Mike Pinder elected not to tour with the band, and he was replaced on the tour by Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz, who had been with Yes. Mike Pinder left The Moody Blues following the recording of Octave.

Mike Pinder then went to work for Atari Inc., where he worked on music synthesizers. He eventually released his second and final solo album, Among the Stars, in 1994. He also wrote two spoken word albums, A Planet With One Mind (1995), in which he recited children's stories from different parts of the world. A Planet With One Mind was followed by another spoken word album, A People with One Heart.

Mike Pinder was pivotal to the success of The Moody Blues. In introducing the Mellontron to the band, he was responsible in part for moving The Moody Blues towards the more progressive sound for which they would be known. Until he left following Octave, Mike Pinder was the band's primary music arranger. He wrote several songs for the band, and on those which he did not write he often contributed his skill with the Mellontron or even his voice. Ultimately, Mike Pinder's influence would extend beyond The Moody Blues and he would have an influence on the progressive rock and symphonic rock genres as a whole.