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Moody Blues Cofounder Mike Pinder, Last Surviving Original Member of Band, Dies at 82
Moody Blues Mike Pinder, whose pioneering use of the Mellotron distinguished 'Nights in White Satin' and other songs, has died. He was 82.
Born in Birmingham in the British Midlands in 1941, he came up on the city’s vibrant music scene — which ultimately produced members of groups ranging from the Move and Traffic to Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath — and formed the “Moodies” in 1964 with Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas (both of whom would remain for many years), Clint Warwick and singer Denny Laine. Pinder played a key role in recruiting Laine’s replacement, Justin Hayward, and Lodge joined shortly after, cementing the group’s classic lineup, which would remain through 1978. In 1967, the group recorded what is considered by many to be the first progressive rock album, “Days of Future Passed,” working with an orchestra whose sound Pinder would reproduce on the Mellotron in a live setting.
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