Denny Laine, Co-founder of Wings And The Moody Blues, Passes Away At 79

TV & Film

Dec 10

Denny Laine, singer and guitarist who co-founded The Moody Blues and Wings, has passed away at the age of 79 from Interstitial Lung Disease. The musician had been dealing with serious health concerns since contracting COVID-19 back in 2022.

Born Brian Frederick Arthur Hines in the Channel Islands on October 29th, 1944, Denny grew up in Tyseley, Birmingham, England, and took up the guitar as a young boy, being inspired by gypsy jazz musician Django Reinhardt. He gave his first solo performance at age 12, fronting Denny and the Diplomats. He changed his name to Denny Laine because he thought Brian Frederick Hines and the Diplomats would not work as a band name. The last name was taken from his sister’s idol, Frankie Lane, and the first name was inspired by the fact that everyone had a den or backyard to hang out in.

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Laine left the Diplomats in 1964 and received a call from Ray Thomas and Mike Tinder to form a new band called the M&B 5, which later became The Moody Blues. He sang lead vocals on the group’s first major hit, “Go Now.” Laine and Pinder also wrote most of the B-side tracks during the period 1965-1966, and the last single from the group to feature Laine was 1967’s “Liefe’s Not Life” b/w “He Can Win.” After, he formed the Electric String Band in 1967 and released some work as a solo artist. He joined the band Balls in 1969 and took some time to play in Ginger Baker’s Air Force in 1970. Balls broke up in 1971, but Laine would not be without a group for long.

In 1971, Denny Laine formed Wings with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and his then-wife Linda McCartney. It was during this period that Laine enjoyed the most commercial and critical success of his career. Laine co-wrote the song “Mull of Kintyre,” which became the highest-selling single in the UK until 1984. The musician stayed with the band until it broke up in 1971. After this period, Laine was mostly a solo artist, releasing his last album, The Blue Musician, in 2008.

Several musicians paid tribute to Laine, including former bandmate Sir Paul McCartney.
Denny Laine is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Hines, and his children from his previous marriage to Jo Jo Laine and other relationships.

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