The Moody Blues

Formed in 1964, Birmingham’s Moody Blues had a huge hit with a cover of the R&B song “Go Now”. But by the time frontman (and future Wings member) Denny Laine left in 1966, the band were floundering. New members Justin Hayward (vocals and guitar) and John Lodge (vocals and bass) helped reboot the sound. The result: 1967’s Days of Future Passed, a radical combination of rock band and orchestra, pop songwriting and classical composition, arguably inventing prog rock. The album-length conceptual suite’s haunting centrepiece, “Nights In White Satin”, became one of the most beloved pop singles of all time. The band’s increasingly sophisticated blend of pop hooks and spacey, post-psychedelic rock generated a long string of smashes, with keyboardist Mike Pinder’s mellotron providing orchestral textures. After a mid-’70s hiatus, The Moody Blues reunited in 1977, Pinder leaving shortly thereafter. His replacement, former Yes member Patrick Moraz, gave the band an electronic sheen for the ’80s, and the Moodies were born anew, enjoying a fresh string of hits and touring for decades to come.