LONG JOHN BALDRYOne of the first British blues musicians who was also a major force in pop and rock ’n’ roll during the 1960s, Long John Baldry died in Vancouver on 21 July, 2005, at the age of 64.His influence is widely felt within the music industry – he performed with Elton John and Rod Stewart, inspired Eric Clapton and befriended Paul McCartney, who invited him to play on The Beatles’ televised special Around The Beatles in 1964.Despite his love of the Blues, his biggest hits veered towards commercial pop, enjoying his only Number One hit in the UK in 1967 with Let The Heartaches Begin, and his 1968 Top 20 song Mexico , was adopted as the official theme of the British Olympic Team that games.In addition to his musical talents, Mr Baldry also enjoyed a successful career as a voiceover artist for animated television series and computer games, most notably Dr Robotnik in the Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog.John William Baldry was born on 12 January, 1941, and grew up in north London where he became fascinated by the records of American jazz musician Huddie Leadbetter and taught himself how to play 12-string guitar.As a teenager in the mid-1950s he started frequenting the Soho folk scene, where his 6 foot 7 inch frame earned him the nickname of Long John, and he soon joined forces with guitar god Davy Graham.In 1962, he became the lead singer of the UK ’s first amplified blues group, Blues Incorporated. With fellow band members, Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies they played their groundbreaking sound to the future music stars including The Rolling Stones and Manfred Mann.But the band was not to last and a year later, he and Cyril Davies formed the Cyril Davies All Stars, which was subsequently renamed the Hoochie Coochie Men when Mr Davies died and a young Rod Stewart was drafted in as the second vocalist.Mr Baldry’s musical ventures continued to be shortlived, going on to found Steampacker along with keyboardist Brian Auger, and to later work with Elton John in Bluesology before the group split in 1968 and Mr Baldry went solo.In the early 1970s, his albums enjoyed a spell of American success that had so far eluded him with his 1971 offering It Ain’t Easy, co-produced with Stewart and featuring Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock And Roll, making the Top 100 album chart in the US with his 1972 follow-up Everything Stops For Tea slightly behind.His private life saw highs and lows during the late 1970s when he met his partner of 28 years, Felix Rexach and releasing his 1979 album Baldry’s Out.His later career was spent in Canada where he continued to perform and record, and his slow raspy voice often featured in advertisements and animated television series before he succumbed to a chest infection in 2005.Although he never reached the heights of global superstardom, Mr Baldry released around 40 albums and became a familiar face in blues clubs and at folk festivals in Canada while retaining a loyal following in Britain and Europe.He helped shape the careers of many big names of the music world with Elton John using Mr Baldry’s forename as his stage surname and commemorating Mr Baldry’s advice to him when he was confused over his sexual identity in the song Someone Changed My Life Tonight.His music was honoured with a Juno Award from the Canadian music industry for the Blues Album of the Year for his 1997 offering Right To Sing The Blues. He also made good use of his gruff but mellow voice, largely in cartoons from 1985 to 1999, with critical recognition coming with his 1998 Grammy nomination for his work on Winnie The Pooh.
Keep me informed of updates
