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.
A poem that describes a man named Richard Cory, who is admired and envied by the townspeople.
“Richard Cory” is a poem written by American poet Edwin Arlington Robinson, first published in The Children of the Night in 1897. Robinson, who was born in 1869 in Head Tide, Maine, often explored themes of personal despair, human isolation, and the dissonance between public perception and private reality in his poetry.
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.
My 4th inductee this year (2023) and my 16th overall was created by Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, and Bev Bevan, who were members of the band The Move.
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) is a British rock band that was formed in Birmingham, England in 1970. The group was created by Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, and Bev Bevan, who were members of the band The Move at the time. The idea for the Electric Light Orchestra was to fuse classical music with rock and roll, creating a unique sound that would set them apart from other bands of the era.
My second 2023 inductee, 14th overall, is Sir Paul McCartney. He is the first to be in my hall twice, once for The Beatles and now for his post-Beatle career.
The Beatles’ bassist, vocalist, and songwriter would continue solo beginning in 1970 at the sign of the break-up of the band. He would release his first LP, McCartney, a month before the release of The Beatles’ swansong Let It Be. The album, rich with experimentation, has McCartney performing all instruments and vocals himself, aside from some backing vocals performed by Linda McCartney. It also contained the song, “Maybe I’m Amazed”.
Tell me, what’s that man movin’ cross the stage?
It looks a lot like the one used by Jimmy Page
Venus and Mars was the 4th studio album by Wings and the 6th for Paul McCartney after the break-up of The Beatles in 1970. The album was released May 27, 1975, and was the follow-up to Band on the Run. It was released on Capitol Records and was the springboard to a year-long worldwide tour for the band.
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.
