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Foto: Warner Bros Records / American Talent International LTD., 1972 (Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Electric Blues
Long John Baldry
This artist is no longer with us.
Born: 12 January 1941 · Died: 21 July 2005• United Kingdom• Active: 1962-2005
BluesElectric BluesTraditional Blues
A British-Canadian blues singer and towering figure of the 1960s British blues boom, whose bands launched the careers of Rod Stewart and Elton John — who took his own stage name partly from Baldry.
Instruments
Vocals
Labels
Decca, United Artists, Warner Bros., EMI, Quality Records, Stony Plain Records
from
East Haddon, Northamptonshire, England
Born
12 January 1941
Musical Influence
As the bandleader who gave Rod Stewart his start and lent Elton John his stage name, Baldry occupies a unique place at the root of British blues and rock — a direct human link between the Alexis Korner scene of the early 1960s and two of the biggest careers in popular music.
Formative experiences
- •1941: Born 12 January in East Haddon, Northamptonshire, England (Source: Wikipedia).
- •Early 1960s: Joins Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated alongside Charlie Watts and Mick Jagger; contributes to "R&B from the Marquee" (1962), the first British electric blues album (Source: Wikipedia; AllMusic).
- •1964: Forms the Hoochie Coochie Men, releases debut solo album "Long John's Blues," and discovers Rod Stewart busking at a London train station, inviting him to join as vocalist (Source: Wikipedia).
- •1965-1966: Leads the supergroup Steampacket with Rod Stewart, Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger (Source: Wikipedia).
- •1966: Forms Bluesology; keyboardist Reg Dwight later adopts the stage name Elton John, borrowing his surname directly from Baldry (Source: Wikipedia).
- •1967: "Let the Heartaches Begin" reaches No. 1 in the UK (Source: Wikipedia).
- •1968: Talks Elton John out of a suicide attempt, later commemorated in John's song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" (Source: Wikipedia).
- •1971: Releases "It Ain't Easy," co-produced by Rod Stewart and Elton John, featuring his biggest US hit (Source: Wikipedia).
- •1980: Becomes a Canadian citizen and settles in Canada (Source: Wikipedia).
- •1993: Voices Dr. Ivo Robotnik in "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" (Source: Wikipedia; IMDb).
- •1997: Wins the Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year for "Right to Sing the Blues" (Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia).
- •2004: Gives his final UK performance in November and final US performance in Columbus, Ohio, on 19 July (Source: Wikipedia).
- •2005: Dies in Vancouver on 21 July from a chest infection following pneumonia and MRSA (Source: Wikipedia).
Stories & Anecdotes
"Baldry discovered a young Rod Stewart busking harmonica at a London train station in 1964 and invited him on the spot to join his band — Stewart has said in interviews that he owes his entire career to that chance encounter (Source: Wikipedia; The Canadian Encyclopedia)."
"When Bluesology keyboardist Reg Dwight went solo, he combined the first name of Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean with Baldry's own first name to create his new stage name: Elton John (Source: Wikipedia)."
"In 1968, Baldry is credited with talking Elton John out of a suicide attempt during a gas-oven incident — an episode Elton John later commemorated in his 1975 song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" (Source: Wikipedia)."
"Baldry's booming, 6-foot-7 stage presence and pioneering repertoire of Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters and Lead Belly covers made him one of the very first British performers to sing authentic blues and folk-blues live in the late 1950s (Source: Wikipedia)."
Collaborators
1964–1972
Discovered by Baldry busking in 1964; joined the Hoochie Coochie Men and Steampacket as vocalist; co-produced half of "It Ain't Easy" (1971).
1966–1972
Played keyboards in Bluesology under his birth name Reg Dwight; later took his stage name partly from Baldry; co-produced half of "It Ain't Easy" (1971).
early 1960s
Baldry was a member of Korner's Blues Incorporated, the group credited with launching British electric blues.
Watch & Listen
Featured
Long John Baldry - Let The Heartaches Begin (Top Of The Pops, 1967)
UK No. 1 single, performed on Top of the Pops.
YouTube
Long John Baldry - Let The Heartaches Begin (BBC radio 7/11/67)
Long John Baldry - Mexico (1968)
Long John Baldry - Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock & Roll
Long John Baldry - Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie (Columbus, Ohio, 19 July 2004)
Long John Baldry - Right to Sing the Blues
Long John Baldry - Everyday (I Have the Blues) - Live Mannheim 1997
Watch & Listen
Henter videoer fra YouTube…
Discography
| Year | Title | Producer | Studio | Label | Chart | Sales | Musicians | YouTube | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Long John's Blues | — | — | United Artists | — | — | — | Debut solo album with the Hoochie Coochie Men, recorded at IBC Studios; blues standards including "I Got My Mojo Workin'" and "Goin' Down Slow" (Source: Wikipedia). | |
| 1971 | It Ain't Easy | — | — | Warner Bros. | — | — | — | Co-produced in separate halves by Rod Stewart and Elton John; includes his biggest US hit, "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll"; No. 83 US (Source: Wikipedia). | |
| 1972 | Everything Stops for Tea | — | — | Warner Bros. | — | — | — | No. 180 US (Source: Wikipedia). | |
| 1979 | Baldry's Out! | — | — | EMI Capitol | — | — | — | Marked his formal, public coming out (Source: Wikipedia). | |
| 1980 | Boys in the Band | — | — | Quality Records | — | — | — | Source: Wikipedia. | |
| 1996 | Right to Sing the Blues | — | — | Stony Plain Records | — | — | — | Won the 1997 Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year (Source: Wikipedia; The Canadian Encyclopedia). |
Famous songs
01Let the Heartaches Begin
02Mexico
03Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll
04Everyday (I Have the Blues)
Awards & Recognition
1997
Juno Award
Blues Album of the Year, for "Right to Sing the Blues"