Denny Laine | |
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 Laine performing withWings in 1976 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Brian Frederick Hines (1944-10-29)29 October 1944 |
| Died | 5 December 2023(2023-12-05) (aged 79) Naples, Florida, US |
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| Years active | 1957–2023 |
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Brian Frederick Hines (29 October 1944 – 5 December 2023), known professionally asDenny Laine, was an English musician who co-founded two major rock bands:the Moody Blues andPaul McCartney and Wings. Laine played guitar in the Moody Blues from 1964 to 1966 and sang their hit cover version of "Go Now". Laine befriendedPaul McCartney, who later asked him to join his band Wings.
Laine was a constant member of Wings for their entire run from 1971 to 1981, playing guitar, bass and keyboards, and singing backing and lead vocals. He wrote songs with McCartney, including the 1977 hit "Mull of Kintyre". Laine worked with a variety of other artists, such asGinger Baker,Trevor Burton andBev Bevan, as a part of groups over a six-decade career. In later years he participated in a number of Wings/McCartney/Beatles tribute performances and recordings. He also had an extensive solo career consisting of ten studio albums of original music and a Wings covers album, and also wrote a musical. Laine performed as a solo artist and touring musician until his death. In 2018, Laine was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues.
Brian Frederick Hines was born on 29 October 1944 to Herbert Edward Arthur Hines and Eva Lillian Hines (née Bassett)[2][3] in Holcombe Road,Tyseley,Birmingham, England,[4][5] and he attendedYardley Grammar School.[6] He took up the guitar as a boy, inspired bygypsy jazz musicianDjango Reinhardt. He gave his first solo performance as a musician at age 12 and began his career as a professional musician, fronting Denny Laine and the Diplomats,[2] which also includedBev Bevan, future drummer withthe Move andElectric Light Orchestra.[7] Laine changed his name because he felt "Brian Frederick Hines and the Diplomats... wouldn't work", instead taking the surname of his sister's idol, the singerFrankie Laine. The first name Denny was a childhood nickname, stemming from the fact that at the time "everyone had a backyard, and a den to hang out. I think I got that nickname there."[8]
At the beginning of 1964, Laine left the Diplomats. In May of that year he received a call fromRay Thomas andMike Pinder who were forming a new band, the M&B 5,[9] who within a few months changed their name to the Moody Blues.[10] He sang lead vocal on the group's first big hit, a cover ofBessie Banks's hit "Go Now";[2] other early highlights included another UK hit, "I Don't Want to Go on Without You", and the two minor UK chart hits "From the Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)" and "Everyday", both written by Laine and Pinder. Laine also sang on "Can't Nobody Love You" and "Bye Bye Bird", the latter of which was a hit in France. A self-titled EP and the albumThe Magnificent Moodies followed, onDecca Records. Laine and Pinder wrote most of the band's B-sides during the period 1965–66, such as "You Don't (All the Time)", "And My Baby's Gone" and "This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)". However, Laine's tenure with the Moody Blues was relatively short-lived and, after a number of comparative chart failures, Laine quit in October 1966.[11] He was replaced byJustin Hayward. The last record issued by the Moody Blues that featured Laine was the single "Life's Not Life" b/w "He Can Win", in January 1967.[12]
A compilation album of singles and album tracks of the early Moody Blues, led by Denny Laine, was released in 2006 under the titleAn Introduction to The Moody Blues.[13]
In December 1966, after leaving the Moody Blues, Laine formed the Electric String Band,[2] featuring himself on guitar and vocals,Trevor Burton (ofthe Move) on guitar,Viv Prince (formerly of thePretty Things) on drums,Binky McKenzie on bass guitar, and electrified strings in a format not dissimilar to that ofElectric Light Orchestra in later years. In June 1967 the Electric String Band shared a bill withthe Jimi Hendrix Experience andProcol Harum at theSaville Theatre in London. However, they did not achieve national attention, and soon broke up.[2]
At the same time, Laine recorded two singles as a solo artist, both released on theDeram label: "Say You Don't Mind" b/w "Ask the People" (April 1967) and "Too Much in Love" b/w "Catherine's Wheel" (January 1968). Both failed to chart, although "Say You Don't Mind" became a Top 20 hit in 1972, when recorded by formerZombies front-manColin Blunstone.[2]
Laine and Burton then went on to join the bandBalls, from February 1969 until their breakup in 1971,[2] with both also taking time to play inGinger Baker's Air Force in 1970.[14] Balls only issued one single, on UK Wizard Records: "Fight for My Country" b/w "Janie, Slow Down".[14] The top side was re-edited and reissued under Trevor Burton's name, under the UK Wizard label in the UK, and byEpic Records in the United States. Burton and Laine shared lead vocals on the B-side. The single was reissued again as B.L & G. (Burton, Laine & Gibbons) asLive in the Mountains for a small label distributed by Pye Records. Twelve tracks were recorded for a Balls album, but it has never been released.[14]
In 1971, Laine joined forces withPaul McCartney and wifeLinda McCartney to formWings,[10] and he remained with the group for 10 years until they disbanded in 1981, being the only three permanent members of the band.[2] Laine provided lead and rhythm guitars, lead and backing vocals, keyboards, bass guitar and woodwind, in addition to writing or co-writing some of the group's material. Laine and the McCartneys were the nucleus of the band and were reduced to a trio twice: the most acclaimed Wings album,Band on the Run, and the majority of material released onLondon Town, were written and recorded by Wings as a trio. Laine was also a frequent contributor to the songwriting process and as lead vocalist. He wrote and sang several songs himself ("Time to Hide", "Again and Again and Again"), co-wrote a number of compositions onBand on the Run andLondon Town, and sang lead vocals on McCartney's songs in full ("The Note You Never Wrote") or in part ("I Lie Around", "Picasso's Last Words", "Spirits of Ancient Egypt"). During Wings' live concerts, Laine often performed "Go Now", his hit with the Moody Blues, as well as "Time to Hide".
During his time in Wings, Laine also released two solo albums,Ahh...Laine! (1973) andHolly Days (1977),[2] the latter of which was also recorded by Wings' core trio of Laine and the McCartneys.
While in Wings, Laine also contributed to the albumMcGear, the second solo album byMike McCartney in 1974. The album also included Mike's brotherPaul (using the pseudonym McGear).
With Wings, Laine enjoyed the biggest commercial and critical successes of his career. The non-album single "Mull of Kintyre", co-written with McCartney,[2] became a hit, reaching No. 1 in theUK Singles Chart in 1977 and being the highest-selling single in the country until 1984. "Deliver Your Children" (from the albumLondon Town), similarly co-written with McCartney and sung by Laine,[15] was released as a double A-side with "I've Had Enough" in the Netherlands, where it charted at No. 13.[16]
In January 1980, after Wings leader McCartney was arrested for possession ofmarijuana, on arrival at an airport in Japan where they were booked to perform a sell-out tour, the band's future became uncertain.[2] Laine released his third solo album,Japanese Tears, with the title track as the single;[17][18] it included several songs recorded by Wings over the years. (Laine also formed the short-lived Denny Laine Band with Wings' final drummerSteve Holley.) Though Wings briefly reunited in late 1980, on 27 April 1981, Laine left Wings, due to McCartney's reluctance to tour in the wake of themurder of John Lennon.[19]
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After leaving Wings, Laine signed with Scratch Records and released a new album,Anyone Can Fly, in 1982.[20] He also worked on McCartney's albumsTug of War andPipes of Peace and he co-wrote one more song with McCartney, "Rainclouds" (issued as the B-side of the No. 1 single "Ebony and Ivory").[21]
Laine continued to release solo albums through the 1980s, such asHometown Girls,Wings on My Feet,Lonely Road andMaster Suite. In 1996, he released two albums,Reborn andWings at the Sound of Denny Laine, the latter an album of reworkings of Wings songs.[citation needed]
From 1997 to 2002, he toured with the rock supergroupWorld Classic Rockers, a group of rock veterans led byNick St. Nicholas ofSteppenwolf.[22] He then toured with the Denny Laine Band.[citation needed] Laine's final solo release was the 2008 albumThe Blue Musician.[23] He also wrote a musical,Arctic Song.[24]
In 2018 he performed with the nine-piece band Turkuaz, performing the music of Wings.[25] In 2018 Laine was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues.[26]
In January 2023, Laine announced tour dates in the US, including New York and Nashville, and said he was working on new material for an album.[27][clarification needed]
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Laine was briefly married toJo Jo Laine, with whom he had a son Laine Hines and a daughter Heidi Jo Hines.[28] He had three other children from other relationships.[29] Laine married Elizabeth Mele in July 2023.[citation needed] They resided inFlorida.[30]
Laine had a relationship with Helen Grant, the daughter of Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant. They had a daughter named Lucianne, born in 1987.
Laine contractedCOVID-19 in 2022, and he then had multiple surgeries for lung issues, including acollapsed lung. After his wife launched aGoFundMe page, Laine's musician friends and supporters organised a benefit concert at theTroubadour nightclub inWest Hollywood, California, on 27 November 2023.[31]
Laine died frominterstitial lung disease inNaples, Florida, on 5 December 2023, at the age of 79.[32][33][34] His wife announced his death on his officialFacebook andInstagram pages.[35][36]
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| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Ahh...Laine![37] | Wizard/Reprise (US) |
| 1977 | Holly Days[38] | EMI/Capitol (US) |
| 1980 | Japanese Tears[39] | Polydor/Scratch |
| 1982 | Anyone Can Fly[40] | Polydor/Scratch |
| 1985 | Hometown Girls[41] | 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[23] | Peacock |
| Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Blue Nights | tracks from 1980 to 1990 |
| 1994 | Rock Survivor | tracks from 1980 to 1990 |
| 1998 | The Masters | tracks from 1980 to 1996 |
| 2002 | Blue Wings: The Ultimate Collection | Wings at the Sound of Denny Laine paired withJapanese Tears |
| 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?" | "Ask the People" | unreleased | |
| 1980 | "Japanese Tears" | "Guess I'm Only Fooling" | Arista AS 0511 |
| Year | Album | Artist | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | McGear | Mike McGear | Wings as backing band |
| 1980 | The Reluctant Dog | Steve Holley | |
| 1981 | Somewhere in England | George Harrison | backing vocals on "All Those Years Ago" |
| 1982 | Standard Time | Laurence Juber | "Maisie" is recorded by Wings |
| 1982 | Tug of War | Paul McCartney | electric guitar, guitar synthesizer, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, synthesizers |
| "Ebony and Ivory" | co-writer and backing vocals on "Rainclouds" | ||
| 1983 | Pipes of Peace | keyboards, guitars, vocals | |
| 1985 | Wind in the Willows | Eddie Hardin andZak Starkey | "The Life We Left Behind" |
| 1996 | Metal Christmas | Various Artists | "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" |
| 1998 | Wide Prairie | Linda McCartney | several songs on the album recorded by various lineups of Wings |
| 1999 | A Tribute toGarth Brooks | Various Artists | "The Thunder Rolls" |
Albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1965 | The Magnificent Moodies[42] |
Singles
| Year | A-side | B-side | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Steal Your Heart Away" | "Lose Your Money" | Non-album single |
| "Go Now" | "It's Easy, Child" | The Magnificent Moodies | |
| 1965 | "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" | "Time on My Side" | Non-album single |
| "From the Bottom of My Heart" | "And My Baby's Gone" | ||
| "Everyday" | "You Don't (All The Time)" | ||
| 1966 | "Boulevard De La Madeleine" | "This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" | |
| 1967 | "Life's Not Life" | "He Can Win" |
| 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" |
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1970 | Ginger Baker's Air Force |
| Ginger Baker's Air Force 2 |
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Wild Life |
| 1973 | Red Rose Speedway |
| Band on the Run | |
| 1975 | Venus and Mars |
| 1976 | Wings at the Speed of Sound |
| 1978 | London Town |
| 1979 | Back to the Egg |
star-studded charity concert near Los Angeles next month for former Paul McCartney & Wings and Moody Blues member Denny Laine, who has suffered serious health complications after contracting COVID-19 last year… [ lineup includes ex-Wings members Denny Seiwell and Laurence Juber, Badfinger's Joey Molland, former Blue Oyster Cult bassist Joe Bouchard, Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon, Jeremy Clyde ofChad & Jeremy, Paul Shaffer, acclaimed session guitarist Albert Lee
