Breathe deep the gathering gloom
Watch lights fade from every room
Bedsitter people look back and lament
Another day’s useless energy spent
The Moody Blues were formed in Birmingham, England, in 1964, emerging from the fertile Midlands beat scene that had already produced The Spencer Davis Group and other rhythm-and-blues-inflected acts. Originally conceived as a harmony-driven R&B band, the group took its name from the Duke Ellington composition “Mood Indigo,” reflecting both their jazz awareness and their desire for a slightly more sophisticated image than many contemporaries.
Far have I travelled and much have I seen, Dark distant mountains with valleys of green, Past painted deserts the sunsets on fire, As he carries me home to the Mull of Kintyre
Denny Laine was born Brian Frederick Arthur Hines on October 29, 1944 in the Channel Islands, England, to parents Herbert Edward Arthur Hines and Eva Lillian Hines (née Bassett). He grew up in Tyseley, Birmingham, England, where he attended Yardley Grammar School. He took up the guitar as a boy, inspired by gypsy jazz musician Django Reinhardt.
Red is grey and yellow white.
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?
Graeme Charles Edge was born March 30, 1941, in Rochester, Staffordshire. He grew up to be a musician, songwriter, and poet, co-founding the Moody Blues in 1964. He would play the drums alongside guitarist/vocals Denny Laine, bassist/vocals Clint Warwick, Keyboardist/vocals Mike Pinder and flautist/vocals Ray Thomas.
