The group was first formed in 1964 by Ray Thomas and Michael Pinder, but as the Krew Cats. They didn’t fare well, so they were joined by guitarist/vocalist Denny Laine, band manager-turned-drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick and became The Moody Blues. They performed their first gig in 1964 and eventually became the resident group at the Carlton Ballroom. The band obtained a London-based management company and signed a recording contract with Decca Records in 1964, but it wasn’t until their second released single, “Go Now” that helped them reach success.
In 1965 the group released a self-titled EP, which featured both of their first two singles. They released their debut full-length album entitled “The Magnificent Moodies” in 1965 as well. Despite being in high demand for live gigs, the group didn’t have much commercial success as they’d have liked with their next few releases. In 1966 Warkick retired and the group took a short hiatus until they re-formed in November of that year. After financial misfortune and an audience heckling, the band soon realized that their style of American blues covers and novelty tunes did not work for them and they decided that they would only perform their own material.
With a second album not materializing and their contract with Decca set to expire, they owed the label several thousand pounds in advances. However, they had the support of an important Decca member and they were offered a deal to make a rock and roll version of Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony that would promote the company's new Deramic Stereo Sound (DSS) audio format. Although they never finished the project, they did release a concept album entitled “Days of Future Passed” in 1967. The album reached gold status and reached No. 27 on the British LP chart and No. 3 on the US/Billboard charts a few years after.
They followed up with this success with the release of “In Search of The Lost Chord,” and a year later with “On The Threshold Of A Dream. They continued with a string of successful albums and in 1974 they went on hiatus. While on hiatus, some members worked on different projects, reunited in 1977. The Moody Blues then released “Octave” in 1978, followed by extensive touring; additionally, keyboard player Patrick Moraz joined them. In 1986 they enjoyed renewed success with their album “The Other Side of Life,” and the renewed interest in the band ensured a younger audience.
The band released “Keys of The Kingdom” in 1991 and continued to tour extensively, but from 1991 to 1998, the group took a hiatus from recording and spent time trying to perfect the art of performing live with an orchestra. This hiatus only lasted until 1999 when they released “Strange Times,” and in 2000 released a live album. Despite Ray Thomas retiring from the group, they did continue to perform live, and in 2013 released a compilation album and appeared on the Moody Blues Cruise.
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Sam Morril
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