DENNY LAINE,
1944-2023

Denny Laine, who fronted The Moody Blues and had a fruitful 12-year association with Paul McCartney, died Tuesday (12/5) after battling interstitial lung disease. He was 79.

Laine sang lead on the Moody Blues’ hit “Go Now,” played guitar, keyboards and sang on Wings’ Band on the Run, Venus & Mars and Wings at the Speed of Sound and co-wrote “Mull of Kintyre” with McCartney. He also recorded with McCartney before and after Wings’ run in the 1970s.

“Denny was a great talent with a fine sense of humor and was always ready to help other people,” McCartney wrote on Instagram. “He will be missed by all his fans and remembered with great fondness by his friends.”

Laine was a native of Birmingham, England. His first band—Denny Laine and the Diplomats—featured singer Roy Wood, who'd go on to co-found Electric Light Orchestra, and future ELO drummer Bev Bevan. Laine formed The Moody Blues in 1964. They topped the U.K. chart and went Top 10 in the U.S. with their second single, the R&B ballad “Go Now.” They didn’t immediately match that success, however, and in 1966, Laine left the group.

Between leaving the Moodys and hooking up with McCartney, he led The Electric String Band, released solo tracks and played with two other acts, Balls and Ginger Baker’s Air Force.

In 1971 Laine joined Paul and Linda McCartney to work on Wild Life and then Red Rose Speedway before McCartney named the band "Wings." While Laine was in the band, Paul McCartney & Wings hit #1 on the U.S. album chart five times and sent six singles to #1.

“Mull of Kintyre,” released in 1978, become the biggest-selling single ever in the U.K., a record that lasted until 1984 and Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Post-Wings, Laine appeared on two of McCartney’s solo albums, 1982’s Tug of War and 1983’s Pipes of Peace.

Laine released a handful of solo albums and toured as a solo act; earlier this year he mounted his Songs & Stories tour, which featured acoustic performances and anecdotes.

Very sorry to hear of the passing of Denny Laine. Wings has always (on the daily) been a big part of my life. RIP

— Axl Rose (@axlrose) December 5, 2023

I’m devastated. What a great guy and a great musician. Rest in peace Denny #dennylaine pic.twitter.com/oAtRWvnK49

— Dave Davies (@davedavieskinks) December 5, 2023

Rip the great Denny Laine of Wings and The Moody Blues. I always loved his work with Wings.. songs like "Time To Hide" and "Again And Again And Again" were among my faves RS pic.twitter.com/tmnNr11hBb

— Ron Sexsmith 💙 (@RonSexsmith) December 5, 2023