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Denny Laine, co-founder of the bands Wings and The Moody Blues and longtime collaborator of Paul McCartney, died Tuesday morning, according to Laine’s wife, Elizabeth Hines. He was 79 years old.
Heinz books In a post on Laine’s official Instagram account Laine “was in the ICU on a ventilator for the past week.” She said Lane had interstitial lung disease (ILD), which is “aggressive and unpredictable.”
“He fought every day. He was so strong and brave, and he never complained,” she wrote.
In 1971, Lane helped form the band Wings alongside Paul and Linda McCartney, which was McCartney’s first concert offering after the breakup of The Beatles. They released their debut album, “Wild Life” that same year, and followed it up with their second album, “Red Rose Speedway” in 1973, which brought them their first hit with “My Love”.
Wings’ most famous musical offering was their 1973 album “Band on the Run.” The album became one of the best-selling British albums of 1974 and reached number one in the United States. It includes hits like the title track, “Band on the Run,” as well as “Jet,” “Let Me Roll It,” and “No Words,” a song that Lane co-wrote.
The band won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus in 1975 for the album’s title track. They later won Best Rock Performance for 1979’s “Rockestra Theme.”
Lane said in an interview that working with McCartney was a harmonious experience interview with Guitar World earlier this year.
“If Paul had played piano, I would have had more freedom to find my guitar part. It was very easy to do it with him.” “You have to remember – he and I grew up with the same musical tastes. We listened to the same tracks, so we have a very similar style.
The Birmingham, England, native co-wrote “Mull of Kintyre” in 1977 with McCartney, a featured song on Wings’ 1993 reissue of their 1978 album “London Town,” which reached No. 1 on the Guinness Book of British Hits. , and became the biggest-selling single of all time in the UK at the time.
Lane is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, and the only member of Wings to have been with the band for its entire career, outside of the McCartney family.
Later on Tuesday, McCartney paid tribute to his former bandmate on social media.
“I have many fond memories of my time with Denny: from the early days when the Beatles toured with the Moody Blues,” booksHe later described him as an “outstanding vocalist and guitarist”.
McCartney later continued: “Denny was a great talent with a great sense of humor and was always willing to help others.” “He will be missed by all his fans and will be remembered with great love by his friends.”
Before joining the Wings, Laine founded The Moody Blues in 1964, and played with them until 1965.
Laine’s tenure with the Moody Blues was short but effective. The musician co-founded the band in 1964 in Birmingham with keyboardist Mike Pinder, but left after the group released its 1965 debut album, The Magnificent Moodies.
Lin noted in 2017 interview with Billboard that he was part of the band’s early period as they moved from an R&B/blues band “to being more progressive.”
“We had this kind of hippie vibe going in those days, and they developed it further,” he said. “But if Mike and Ray (Thomas) hadn’t convinced me to join their band, I would have been stuck in Birmingham doing nothing, so I’m grateful for that.”
Laine’s contribution to the Moody Blues was later recognized when he was inducted into the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame My definition in 2018 alongside Pender, Thomas, Graeme Edge, John Lodge and Justin Hayward.
In his later years, Lane continued to tour regularly and launched his “Songs and Stories” live show earlier this year, which features a setlist spanning decades of his work. He performed his final shows earlier this summer, according to Laine’s rep.
“I can’t live without live work,” he told Guitar World. “There is no substitute for playing live and feeling connected with the audience.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
