| Denny Laine |
Denny Laine on stage with Wings in 1976 |
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Brian Frederick Arthur Hines |
| Also known as |
Denny Laine |
| Born |
(1944-10-29) 29 October 1944 (age 68) |
| Origin |
Birmingham, West Midlands, England |
| Genres |
Rock and roll, blues-rock, R&B, jazz fusion |
| Occupations |
Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments |
Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, flute, harmonica, violin |
| Years active |
1957–present |
| Labels |
Decca, Wizard, Reprise, EMI, Arista, Takoma, Scratch, President, Griffin, Global |
| Associated acts |
Paul McCartney, Wings, the Moody Blues, Mike Pinder, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Eddie Hardin, Maggie Bell, Colin Blunstone, World Classic Rockers, Linda McCartney |
| Website |
www.dennylaine.com |
Denny Laine (born Brian Frederick Arthur Hines, 29 October 1944, Birmingham, England) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was an original member of The Moody Blues, singing their first hit "Go Now" in 1964, and was a member of Wings with Paul McCartney from 1971 to 1981.
Biography [edit]
Laine is of Romani and French descent. He was educated at Yardley Grammar School in Birmingham, and took up the guitar as a boy under the influence of Gypsy jazz (jazz manouche) legend Django Reinhardt; he had his first solo performance as a musician at the age of twelve 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.
In 1964, Laine left the Diplomats to join Mike Pinder in The Moody Blues and sang their first big hit, "Go Now"; other early highlights included 'I Don't Want To Go On Without You', another UK hit, plus the further two minor UK chart hits "From The Bottom Of My Heart ( I Love You)", 'Everyday' (both written by Laine & Pinder), "Can't Nobody Love You" and the harmonica-ripping "Bye Bye Bird" (a big hit in France). A self-titled EP and 'The Magnificent Moodies' LP on Decca followed. Laine & 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' & 'This is My House'. However, Laine's tenure with the MB's was relatively short-lived and, after a number of comparative chart failures,[citation needed] Laine quit the band in August 1966. The last record issued by the Moody Blues that featured Laine was "Life's Not Life"/"He Can Win" in January 1967, after Justin Hayward had just replaced him in the band.
After leaving the Moody Blues in early October 1966, he formed the Electric String Band in December 1966, which featured himself on guitar and vocals, Trevor Burton (another former member of The Move) on guitar, Viv Prince on drums, and 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" (April 1967, Deram) and "Too Much In Love"/"Catherine's Wheel" (January 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. (There was apparently a third single recorded called "Why Did You Come?". Why it was never released is unknown, but there have been rumours that the finished track - and probably the B side as well - was sent by post to Decca and was lost.) 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.[1]
Only one single was issued by Balls: "Fight For My Country"/"Janie, Slow Down" on UK Wizard Records.[1] The top side was re-edited and reissued on UK Wizard and issued in the UK on Wizard and in the US 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.[1] Laine's 1967 song "Say You Don't Mind" was a hit when recorded in 1972 by ex-Zombie, Colin Blunstone.
In 1971, Laine joined Paul McCartney to form Wings, and stayed with them for ten years until they 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 their material. Together with Paul and his wife, Linda, they formed the nucleus of the band, being called that "strange, 3-winged beast". It was with Wings that Laine enjoyed the biggest commercial and critical successes of his career, including co-writing the hit "Mull of Kintyre".
In January 1980, McCartney was arrested for possession of marijuana upon arrival at an airport for a tour in Japan. The tour was cancelled and in April 1981 Laine announced that he was leaving Wings. Laine holds no ill-will toward McCartney over breaking up Wings and is working with McCartney on a biographical book that will include the Wings era.
In 1986, Laine played at the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert 1986, raising money for the Birmingham Children's Hospital.[citation needed] He has 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.[citation needed]
He was briefly married to Jo Jo Laine, with whom he had a son, Laine Hines, and a daughter, Heidi Hines.[3] He has three other children from other relationships: Lucianne Grant, Damian James and Ainsley Laine-Adams.
Discography [edit]
The Moody Blues [edit]
Moody Blues non-album singles [edit]
| A-side |
B-side |
| "Steal Your Heart Away" |
"Lose Your Money" |
| "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" |
| "Ev'ryday" |
"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" |
| 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?" |
— |
— |
Balls reissued as by Trevor Burton [edit]
| 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" |
Ginger Baker's Airforce [edit]
Solo albums [edit]
Denny Laine performing at the Cavern Club in 2008
Guest appearances [edit]
Bootlegs [edit]
| 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) |
| Hot Hits & Cold Cuts |
| 1982 |
Birmingham Boy |
Live albums [edit]
Compilation albums [edit]
| 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) |
| 2001 |
Wingspan: Hits and History |
| 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") |
References [edit]
"Wingspan: Hits and History" by Paul McCartney
External links [edit]
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Laine, Denny |
| Alternative names |
Hines, Brian Frederick Arthur |
| Short description |
Musician |
| Date of birth |
29 October 1944 |
| Place of birth |
Birmingham, West Midlands, England |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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