Denny Laine

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Denny Laine
Background information
Birth name Brian Hines
Born 29 October 1944
Origin Birmingham, West Midlands, England
Genre(s) Rock and Roll, Blues Rock, Jazz Fusion
Occupation(s) Musician
Instrument(s) Guitars, Bass, Piano, Keyboards, vocals
Years active 1965-present
Associated
acts		 Paul McCartney, Wings, The Moody Blues, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Colin Blunstone
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

[edit] 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.

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.

With Wings, 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 daughter, Heidi.[1]

[edit] Album Discography

[edit] The Moody Blues Album

  • The Magnificent Moodies (1965)

[edit] Ginger Baker's Air Force Albums

  • Ginger Baker's Air Force
  • Ginger Baker's Air Force 2

[edit] Wings Albums

[edit] Solo Albums

[edit] Studio Albums

[edit] Compilation Albums

  • In Flight (1984)
  • Blue Nights (1994)
  • 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)

[edit] 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 perfomance on the Buddy Holly Week) (2000)

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Johnson, Angella, "'Mum was beautiful, wild... she was the ultimate rock groupie'", Mail on Sunday, 4 November 2006

[edit] External links

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 Again
Compilations: This is The Moody Blues | Greatest Hits | Prelude | Time Traveller (Box Set) | An Introduction to The Moody Blues
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