Denny Laine, Legendary Moody Blues and Wings Guitarist, Passes Away at 79

Denny Laine, who was the main singer for the Moody Blues and played guitar in Sir Paul McCartney's band Wings, has passed away at 79 years old. 

His wife, Elizabeth Hines, mentioned he had been fighting lung disease for a long time before he died.   

Laine contributed vocals to the Moody Blues' successful song "Go Now" and co-authored the hit "Mull of Kintyre" for Wings, among his many accomplishments.  

Sir Paul honored him on Instagram, praising Denny as an exceptional singer and guitarist. Paul remembered him as not only talented but also as someone with a great sense of humor who was always willing to assist others.  

Reflecting on their past, Paul acknowledged they had grown apart but were able to reconnect in recent years, reminiscing about their shared experiences. 

Originally named Brian Hines and raised in Birmingham, Laine found his love for guitar through the influence of jazz icon Django Reinhardt.  

Laine adopted the stage name "Denny" from a childhood nickname and combined it with the name of his sister's beloved singer, Frankie Laine, to create his stage persona. Interestingly, any resemblance to "Penny Lane," a song penned by his future bandmate in Wings, was purely coincidental.

Denny kicked off his professional journey as the lead singer of a local group named Denny Laine and the Diplomats, where Bev Bevan, who later joined ELO, played drums.  

After the band didn't succeed in securing a record deal, Laine moved on to join The Moody Blues. During his time there, he achieved chart-topping success with "Go Now" and continued with several soul-influenced tracks such as "From The Bottom of My Heart (I Love You)" and "Bye Bye Bird."  

Despite their initial success, the band's popularity started to decline, prompting Denny to depart before The Moody Blues shifted their style to progressive rock, including hits like "Nights In White Satin." 

Following his unsuccessful venture with the Denny Laine String Band, Laine faced challenges in gaining chart success. Taking a break, he traveled to Spain to study flamenco guitar. Later, he teamed up with Ginger Baker, Cream's drummer, in the hard rock group Air Force.  

In 1971, McCartney introduced Wings as his new band, marking his return since the Beatles era. This band, built on songs crafted alongside his wife Linda McCartney, became Laine's next musical endeavor.  

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Within Wings, Laine contributed crucially, playing guitar, and bass, and providing vocals. He played a pivotal role in supporting McCartney on hits like "Jet," "Band on the Run," and "Live and Let Die." 

He and McCartney had been friends since their earlier bands supported The Beatles during tours in the 60s. Although he used to be the main singer in his past bands, he liked the freedom he found in Wings.  

In his 1980 album "Japanese Tear," Denny collaborated with Paul on a song called "Send Me The Heart" and included some tracks that Wings had recorded but never released.  

Laine's later albums like "Hometown Girls," "Wings On My Feet," and "Lonely Road" featured some of Wings' popular songs reinterpreted. In 1996, he released "Wings At The Sound of Denny Laine," giving a new take on Wings' biggest hits.  

Denny's final solo album, "The Blue Musician," came out in 2008. He continued performing these songs he was known for in concerts until recently.  

Laine passed away just after Wings announced the 50th-anniversary reissue of "Band On The Run." Even though he didn't pick favorites, he cherished that album a lot.

In a statement, his wife revealed that despite Denny's hope to recover from lung disease, his condition worsened over the past few weeks. She admired his strength and bravery in fighting and mentioned his desire to be at home with her and their pet kitty, Charley, playing his guitar.  

Expressing gratitude for the support from fans, she requested privacy for the family to grieve the loss. 

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