| Denny Laine |
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Brian Hines |
| Born |
29 October 1944 |
| Origin |
Birmingham, West Midlands, England |
| Genre(s) |
Rock and Roll, Blues
Rock, R&B,
Jazz
Fusion |
| Occupation(s) |
Musician |
| Instrument(s) |
Guitars, Bass, Piano, Keyboards,
Flute,
vocals |
| Years active |
1965-present |
Associated
acts |
Paul
McCartney, Wings, The
Moody Blues, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Colin
Blunstone, World Classic Rockers |
| Website |
Official
website |
Denny Laine (born Brian Hines,
on 29
October 1944,
in Birmingham)
is an English
songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best
known for his roles as former guitarist and lead singer of The
Moody Blues and, later, co-founder (along with Paul
McCartney) of Wings.
|
Contents
- 1 Biography
- 2 Album
Discography
- 2.1 The
Moody Blues
- 2.2 Ginger
Baker's Air Force
- 2.3 Wings
- 2.4 Paul
McCartney
- 2.5 Solo
Albums
- 2.6 Compilation
Albums
- 2.7 Guest
Appearances
- 2.8 Bootlegs
- 3 Notes
and references
- 4 External
links
|
Biography
Laine, born Brian Frederick Arthur Hines, 29 October 1944, in
Tyseley, Birmingham, England is of Romani descent and was educated at
Yardley Grammar School, in Birmingham. His first solo performance was
at the age of twelve. Having taken up the guitar as a boy, under the influence of jazz legend Django
Reinhardt, Laine began his career as a professional musician fronting
Denny And The Diplomats, the members of which included future The
Move and Electric Light Orchestra
drummer Bev
Bevan.
In 1964,
Laine abandoned Denny And The Diplomats to join The
Moody Blues, singing their first big hit, "Go Now." His
tenure with the band was short-lived, however, and after a number of
comparative failures, Laine quit the band in late 1966. (The last
record issued by The Moody Blues that featured Laine was "Life's Not
Life"/"He Can Win" in 1967.)
After leaving The Moody Blues, he formed Denny Laine's
Electric String Band, which featured Denny (guitar, vocals), Trevor
Burton (guitar, another former member of The
Move) and Viv Prince (drums), also featuring electrified
strings in a format not dissimilar to what Electric Light Orchestra
would later attempt. They made two singles, "Say You Don't Mind / Ask
The People" (Apr 1967, Deram) and "Too Much In Love / Catherine's
Wheel" (Jan 1968, Deram); and, in June 1967, they shared a bill with The Jimi Hendrix
Experience and Procol Harum at the Saville
Theatre in London.
However, national attention was not to be, and the pioneering Electric
String Band broke up. Laine and Burton then went on to the band Balls
from 1969 until the band's breakup in 1971, with both also taking time
to play in Ginger Baker's Air Force in
1970.
With Wings, which Laine was a
member of from its original inception in 1971, Laine enjoyed his
greatest success (even beating The Moody Blues' release of "Go Now"),
helping McCartney write such big hits as "Mull of Kintyre". Along with
McCartney's late wife, Linda, Laine helped form the nucleus
of the band, providing lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards, bass guitar,
as well as backing vocals and sometimes lead vocals.
Laine's 1967 song "Say You Don't Mind" was a hit when recorded
in 1972 by ex-Zombie Colin Blunstone.
In January of 1980, Wings planned a tour of Japan. However,
upon arrival at the airport, McCartney was arrested for marijuana
possession. The tour was cancelled, and Laine's relationship with
McCartney has never recovered. In 1982, he released the song "Japanese
Tears," a visible attack on McCartney, much like John
Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?" in 1971. Laine
then slipped off the radar. He filed for bankruptcy
in the mid-Eighties (he had sold his lucrative co-publishing rights
to "Mull of Kintyre" to co-author
McCartney). However, he continued to record music and has appeared at
Beatles conventions and on tributes to both The Beatles and Wings. He
is currently working on an autobiography.
He was briefly married to Jo Jo Laine (b. 13 July 1953 d. 29
October 2006), with whom he had a son Laine, and a daughter, Heidi.
Album Discography
The Moody Blues
- The Magnificent Moodies
(1965)
- An Introduction
to The Moody Blues (2004))
Ginger Baker's Air Force
- Ginger Baker's Air
Force (1970)
- Ginger Baker's Air Force 2
(1970)
Wings
- Wild Life (1971)
- Red Rose Speedway
(1973)
- Band On The Run
(1973)
- Venus and Mars
(1975)
- Wings at the Speed of
Sound (1976)
- Wings over America
(1976)
- London Town (album)
(1978)
- Wings Greatest
(1978)
- Back to the Egg
(1979)
- Concerts
for the People of Kampuchea (1981)
- Wingspan: Hits and History
Compilation (2001)
Paul McCartney
- Tug of War (1982)
- Pipes of Peace
(1983)
Solo Albums
- Ahh...Laine (1973)
- Holly Days (1977)
- Japanese Tears
(1980)
- Anyone Can Fly (1982)
- Hometown Girls (1985)
- Wings On My Feet (1986)
- Lonely Road (1987)
- Master Suite (1988)
- All I Want Is Freedom (1990)
- Reborn (1996)
- Wings At The Sound Of Denny Laine (1996)
- Arctic Song (1998)
Compilation Albums
- In Flight (1984)
- Blue Nights (1994)
- Rock Survivor (1995)
- Danger Zone (1995)
- Go Now (1995)
- The Masters (1998)
- Reborn Again (2001)
- Spreading My Wings: The Ultimate Denny Laine
Collection (2002)
- The Collection (Blue Nights/The
Masters/Reborn) (2003)
- Send Me The Heart (2004)
Guest Appearances
- McGear (1974)
- Wind In The Willows (1985)
Bootlegs
- Birmingham Boy (1982)
- Rock & Roll Jam Sessions (with
Paul McCartney) (1994)
- 2 Buddies on Holly Days (with Paul
McCartney; excerpts from Holly Days and a live performance on the Buddy
Holly Week) (1990)
Notes and references
-
Johnson, Angella, "'Mum was beautiful, wild... she was the
ultimate rock groupie'", Mail
on Sunday, 4 November 2006
External links
| v • d • e The Moody Blues |
Justin
Hayward | John Lodge
| Graeme Edge
Former members: Ray Thomas | Mike
Pinder | Patrick Moraz | Denny Laine | Clint
Warwick |
| Discography |
| Studio Albums:
The Magnificent Moodies
| Days of Future Passed
| In Search of the Lost
Chord | On the Threshold of a
Dream | To Our
Children's Children's Children | A
Question of Balance | Every Good
Boy Deserves Favour | Seventh
Sojourn | Octave
| Long Distance Voyager
| The Present | The Other Side of Life
| Sur
La Mer | Keys
of the Kingdom | Strange Times
| December |
| Live:
Caught Live + 5
| A
Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
| Hall
of Fame: Live at the Royal Albert Hall | Lovely to See
You |
| Compilations:
This Is The Moody Blues
| Greatest Hits
| Prelude | Time
Traveler | An Introduction
to The Moody Blues |
