Denny Laine, Longtime Member of Paul McCartney’s Wings and Moody Blues Cofounder, Dies at 79
variety.comJem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Denny Laine, the British singer-guitarist best known for his work with Paul McCartney & Wings and the Moody Blues, has died after a long battle with interstitial lung disease, according to a social media post from his wife.
He was 79. Born Brian Frederick Hines in 1944 near Birmingham, England, he was a major figure on the city’s fertile 1960s rock scene and was actually one of the first from it to break through.
He co-founded the Moody Blues and scored an early hit with them in 1964, singing their cover of American R&B singer Bessie Banks’ breakup ballad “Go Now”; the song was to be associated with him for the rest of his career.
While the group had a couple more minor hits, he left in 1967 and was replaced by Justin Hayward, who would lead the Moodies to become one of the biggest groups of the era, particularly with the song “Nights in White Satin.” During the next few years he formed a series of groups, including the Electric String Band and Balls (both with ex-Move guitarist Trevor Burton) and former Cream drummer Ginger Baker’s Air Force.
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