Denny Laine
born on 29/10/1944 in Jersey Coast, United Kingdom
Denny Laine
Denny Laine (born Brian Frederick Hines, 29 October 1944) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was an original member of the Moody Blues, singing the band's first hit "Go Now" in 1964, Ginger Baker's Air Force in 1970, where he played lead guitar on their debut album, and Wings with Paul McCartney from 1971 to 1981. In 2018, Laine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of the Moody Blues.[1]
Early years
Laine was born in Tyseley, Birmingham, where he attended Yardley Grammar School, and took up the guitar as a boy, inspired by gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt. He gave his first solo performance as a musician at the age of 12 and began his career as a professional musician fronting Denny Laine & the Diplomats, which also included future Move and Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan.
Career
The Moody Blues
In 1964, Laine left the Diplomats, shortly afterwards, he received a call from Ray Thomas and Mike Pinder to form a new band, The M&B 5, which eventually was changed to the Moody Blues[2] and sang the group's first big hit, "Go Now"; other early highlights included "I Don't Want To Go On Without You", another UK hit, and the two minor UK chart hits "From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)" and "Everyday", both written by Laine and Pinder. He also sang on "Can't Nobody Love You" and "Bye Bye Bird" which was a hit in France. A self-titled EP and The Magnificent Moodies LP on Decca followed. Laine and Pinder wrote most of the Moody Blues' B-sides during the 1965-66 period, such as "You Don't (All the Time)", "And My Baby's Gone" and "This Is My House". However, Laine's tenure with the band was relatively short-lived and, after a number of comparative chart failures, Laine quit the band in October 1966. He was replaced by Justin Hayward. The last record issued by the Moody Blues that featured Laine was "Life's Not Life" b/w "He Can Win" in January 1967.
Electric String Band and early solo career
After leaving the Moody Blues, Laine formed the Electric String Band in December 1966, which featured himself on guitar and vocals, Trevor Burton (of the Move) on guitar, Viv Prince (ex-Pretty Things) on drums and electrified strings in a format not dissimilar to what Electric Light Orchestra would later attempt. In June 1967, the band shared a bill with the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Procol Harum at the Saville Theatre in London. However, it did not achieve national attention, and the Electric String Band broke up.
At the same time, Laine recorded two singles as a solo artist: "Say You Don't Mind"/"Ask The People" (April 1967, Deram) and "Too Much in Love"/"Catherine's Wheel" (January 1968, Deram). Both failed to chart, although "Say You Don't Mind" became a #15 hit in 1972 when recorded by former Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone.
Balls and Ginger Baker's Air Force
Laine and Burton then went on to the band Balls from February 1969 until the band's breakup in 1971, with both also taking time to play in Ginger Baker's Air Force in 1970.[3]
Only one single was issued by Balls: "Fight for My Country"/"Janie, Slow Down" on UK Wizard Records.[3] The top side was re-edited and reissued on UK Wizard and issued in the UK on Wizard and in the United States on Epic under the name of Trevor Burton; Laine and Burton shared lead vocals on the B side. The single was reissued again as B.L.W. as "Live in the Mountains" for a small Pye-distributed label, "Paladin". Twelve tracks were recorded for a Balls album, but it has never been released.[3]
Wings
In 1971, Laine joined Paul McCartney to form Wings,[2] and stayed with the group for 10 years until it disbanded in 1981. Laine provided lead and rhythm guitars, lead and backing vocals, keyboards, bass guitar and woodwinds, as well as writing or co-writing some of the group's material. Laine, McCartney, and McCartney's wife, Linda McCartney formed the nucleus of the band. With Wings, Laine enjoyed the biggest commercial and critical successes of his career, including co-writing the hit "Mull of Kintyre", which reached #1 in the UK in 1977, and became the UK's highest-selling single until that time. Laine also co-wrote and sang lead vocal on "Deliver Your Children", which was released as a Wings B-side but charted in the Netherlands.
In January 1980, McCartney was arrested for possession of marijuana on arrival at an airport for a tour in Japan. The tour was cancelled and the band members, except Linda, returned to England. After returning to England, McCartney decided to release his solo album, McCartney II, and plans for an autumn U.S. tour were dropped. Meanwhile, Laine released the single "Japanese Tears" and released a solo album, Japanese Tears, that December. He also formed the short-lived Denny Laine Band with Steve Holley. On 27 April 1981, Laine announced he was leaving Wings due to McCartney's reluctance to tour in the wake of John Lennon's murder.[4] However, Laine did work on McCartney's Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace albums.
Solo career
Laine signed with Scratch records and began working on a new album, Anyone Can Fly. He then went on to record other solo albums such as Hometown Girls, Wings on My Feet and Lonely Road before returning to Scratch to do his Wings at the Sound of Denny Laine. He has also had three fanzine publications, Ahh Laine, wrote the musical Arctic Song and released two more albums, Master Suite and Reborn.
From 1997 to 2002, he toured with the rock supergroup World Classic Rockers. He left the World Classic Rockers and now tours as a solo artist with his band,The Denny Laine Band, and teams up with other bands on occasion.
Personal life
He was briefly married to Jo Jo Laine, with whom he had a son, Laine Hines, and a daughter, Heidi Hines.[5] He has three other children from other relationships: Lucianne Grant (with Helen, daughter of Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant), Damian James (with model Catherine James)[6] and Ainsley Laine-Adams.
Laine moved to the United States in the mid 1990s and lives in the NYC area with his girlfriend, Elizabeth.
Discography
Solo albums
Year | Album | Label |
---|---|---|
1973 | Ahh...Laine | Wizard/Reprise (US) |
1977 | Holly Days | EMI/Capitol (US) |
1980 | Japanese Tears | Polydor/Scratch |
1982 | Anyone Can Fly | Polydor/Scratch |
1985 | Hometown Girls | President |
1987 | Wings on My Feet | President |
1988 | Lonely Road | President |
Master Suite | Magnum Force | |
1990 | All I Want Is Freedom | JAWS |
1996 | Reborn | Griffin/Scratch |
Wings at the Sound of Denny Laine | Scratch/Purple Pyramid (US) | |
2008 | The Blue Musician | Peacock Records |
Compilation albums
Year | Album |
---|---|
1978 | Wings Greatest |
1984 | In Flight (tracks from "Japanese Tears") |
1985 | Weep For Love (tracks from "Japanese Tears") |
1994 | Blue Nights (tracks from 1980 to 1990) |
1995 | Rock Survivor (tracks from 1980 to 1990) |
Danger Zone (tracks from "Japanese Tears") | |
Go Now (tracks from "Japanese Tears") | |
1998 | The Masters (tracks from 1980 to 1996) |
2002 | Spreading My Wings: The Ultimate Denny Laine Collection (tracks from 1980 to 1990) |
2003 |
The Collection (2 compilations, 1 album) Blue Nights (tracks from 1980 to 1990) The Masters (tracks from 1980 to 1996) Reborn |
2004 | An Introduction to The Moody Blues (including previously unreleased "People Gotta Go") |
Send Me The Heart (tracks from "Japanese Tears") |
Singles
Year | A-side | B-side | Label |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | "Say You Don't Mind" | "Ask The People" | Deram DM 122 |
1968 | "Too Much in Love" | "Catherine's Wheel" | Deram DM 171 |
"Why Did You Come?" | — | — |
Guest appearances
Year | Album | Artist |
---|---|---|
1974 | McGear | Mike McGear |
1980 | The Reluctant Dog | Steve Holley |
1981 |
Somewhere in England
|
George Harrison |
1982 | Tug of War | Paul McCartney |
1983 | Pipes of Peace | |
1985 |
Wind in the Willows
|
Eddie Hardin and Zak Starkey |
1996 |
Metal Christmas
|
Various Artists |
1998 | Wide Prairie | Linda McCartney |
1999 |
Old Friends in New Places
|
|
2001 | Wingspan: Hits and History | Paul McCartney |
Bootlegs
Year | Album |
---|---|
1972 | Memory Laine |
1979 |
Rock & Roll Jam Sessions (aka: Lympne Castle Sessions, aka: Wings: In A Jam) |
2 Buddies on Holly Days (excerpts from Holly Days and live performances during Buddy Holly Week) | |
1982 | Birmingham Boy |
1988 | Cold Cuts (Another Early Version) |
With The Moody Blues
Year | Album |
---|---|
1965 | The Magnificent Moodies |
- Moody Blues singles
A-side | B-side |
---|---|
"Steal Your Heart Away" | "Lose Your Money" |
"Go Now" | "It's Easy, Child" |
"I Don't Want To Go on Without You" | "Time on My Side" |
"From The Bottom of My Heart" | "And My Baby's Gone" |
"Everyday" | "You Don't (All The Time)" |
"Boulevard De La Madeleine" | "This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" |
"People Gotta Go" (issued on a French EP only) | — |
"Life's Not Life" | "He Can Win" |
With Balls reissued as by Trevor Burton
Year | A-side | B-side |
---|---|---|
1970 (Balls) | "Fight for My Country" | "Janie, Slow Down" |
1971 (Trevor Burton) | "Fight for My Country" (edited) | "Janie, Slow Down" |
1972 (B.L.G.) | "Live in the Mountains" (same as "Fight for My Country") (edited) | "Janie, Slow Down" |
With Ginger Baker's Airforce
Year | Album |
---|---|
1970 | Ginger Baker's Air Force |
Ginger Baker's Air Force 2 |
With Wings
Year | Album |
---|---|
1971 | Wild Life |
1973 | Red Rose Speedway |
Band on the Run | |
1975 | Venus and Mars |
1976 | Wings at the Speed of Sound |
Wings over America (triple live album) | |
1978 | London Town |
1979 | Back to the Egg |
1981 | Concerts for the People of Kampuchea |
References
- ^ "The Moody Blues". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Denny Laine - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ a b c Joynson, Vernon (1995). The Tapestry of Delights Archived 30 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine.. London: Borderline Books.
- ^ (AP) Wings clipped". The Leader-Post 30 April 1981: D2
- ^ Johnson, Angella, "'Mum was beautiful, wild... she was the ultimate rock groupie'", Mail on Sunday, 4 November 2006
- ^ James, Catherine (2007). Dandelion: Memoir of a Free Spirit. St. Martin's Press. p. 80. ISBN 0312367813.
Bibliography
- Wingspan : Hits and History by Paul McCartney, ASIN: B00005B839
External links
- Denny Laine's official website
- Denny Laine's MySpace page
- In the Spotlight with Denny Laine
- Denny Laine and the Diplomats, a pre-Moody Blues band featuring Denny Laine
- The original Moody Blues line up, with Denny Laine on guitar and vocals
- VH1.com's Biography of Denny Laine
- Denny Laine 2 hour audio interview on RundgrenRadio.com
This article uses material from the article Denny Laine from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.