Mike Pinder was the original keyboardist and the last surviving founding member of the superstar English rock band the Moody Blues, and an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- Died: April 24, 2024 (Who else died on April 24?)
- Details of death: Died in California at the age of 82.
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Mike Pinder’s legacy
Born in Birmingham, England, Mike Pinder joined four fellow musicians in 1964 – Ray Thomas, Denny Laine, Clint Warwick, and Graeme Edge – to form the rock band the Moody Blues. Within months of coming together, they had a record deal. Originally featuring prominent R&B influences, their second single, a cover of “Go Now” by Bessie Banks, went to number one on the UK charts, helping launch the band into stardom.
Pinder and Laine often wrote together, penning songs like “Everyday,” “From the Bottom of My Heart,” “Boulevard De La Madeline,” and “Life’s Not Life.” When Laine left the band in 1966, Pinder helped pick Justin Hayward as his replacement and also helped draft his friend, John Lodge, into the band. With those two new members solidifying the band’s “classic lineup,” Pinder began to experiment with the Mellotron, a type of keyboard that utilized tape loops to create a unique sound. In fact, it was Pinder who introduced the instrument to John Lennon, who used it on his Beatles song, “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
Pinder left the band in the late 1970s and largely stayed out of the public eye in the years that followed. He briefly worked as a consultant for Atari. Pinder also released two solo albums: 1976’s “The Promise” and 1994’s “Among the Stars.” Along with the rest of the Moody Blues, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Tributes to Mike Pinder
Full obituary: Variety
