Moody Blues, the

▪ British rock group

      British rock band formed in Birmingham, West Midlands, England, in 1964 and credited as the pioneer of a subgenre, now called art rock, or classical rock, that blends pop and classical music. The original members were Mike Pinder (b. Dec. 27, 1941, Birmingham, Eng.), Ray Thomas (b. Dec. 29, 1941, Stourport-on-Severn, Hereford and Worcester, Eng.), Graeme Edge (b. March 30, 1941, Rochester, Kent, Eng.), Denny Laine (original name Brian Hines; b. Oct. 29, 1944, near Jersey, Channel Islands), and Clint Warwick (original name Clinton Eccles; b. June 25, 1939, Birmingham). Later members included Justin Hayward (in full David Justin Hayward; b. Oct. 14, 1946, Swindon, Wiltshire, Eng.), John Lodge (b. July 20, 1945, Birmingham), and Patrick Moraz (b. June 24, 1948, Morges, Switz.).

      Although best known for their psychedelic (psychedelic rock)-era music and grandiose lyrics, the Moody Blues began as a British Invasion rhythm-and-blues (rhythm and blues) group with the hit single “Go Now” (1964). After a change in band members, including the departure of Laine (who later joined Paul McCartney (Beatles, the)'s Wings) and the addition of Hayward and Lodge, the group released their landmark Days of Future Passed (released in Britain in late 1967 and in the United States in early 1968). One of the first successful concept albums, it marked a turning point in the development of classical rock (an assemblage of musicians calling itself the London Festival Orchestra backed the band) and yielded two hits, “Tuesday Afternoon” and the signature “Nights in White Satin.” On In Search of the Lost Chord (1968) they traded the orchestra for the Mellotron, an electronic keyboard that reproduces orchestral sounds. They continued to use electronic instruments in subsequent albums and had a number of hit singles, though, ironically, by Long Distance Voyager (1981) and The Present (1983) the originality of their efforts was obscured by their success, which had helped make synthesizers and philosophy part of the rock mainstream. Their rich symphonic sound influenced groups such as Yes, Genesis, the Electric Light Orchestra, and Deep Purple.

* * *