Ticket 2 Ride

Rock music veteran Denny Laine passed away on December 5, 2023 after a respiratory illness. Just a day before I heard of a benefit concert that raised money for his hospital care. Then, he was gone.

Laine was an original member of the Moody Blues, whose 1964 song “Go Now,” was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. That version of the Moodies were more of a blues band that drifted into pop before breaking up. The Moodies reformed with additional members Justin Hayward and John Lodge, while Laine looked for new opportunities.

Laine joined forces with Ginger Baker for Ginger Baker’s Air Force before serving as Paul McCartney’s bandmate in Wings during the 1970s.

After McCartney disbanded Wings, Laine was a solo artist. He released a number of albums on his own and continued performing live. Laine would never achieve the type success he had experienced previously, but he seemed to find happiness in life.

When the Moody Blues were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, Laine was included.

I had the opportunity to see Denny Laine perform at a local casino. Surprisingly, tickets were cheap and he offered a VIP level where he chatted and signed autographs. Although I got him to sign an album, I wish I had done the VIP. As for the show, he played the Wings hits along with “Go Now.” I never thought too much about that show, until I heard of his passing.

The music world gave Laine his due upon getting the news of his death. The one person I looked to hear from was his old bandmate Sir Paul. I don’t know the facts, but apparently the two had been estranged and there were issues about compensation from the Wings years.

“Denny joined Wings at the outset. He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player,” Paul McCartney recalled. “He and I wrote some songs together the most successful being ‘Mull of Kintyre’ which was a big hit in the Seventies. We had drifted apart but in recent years managed to reestablish our friendship and share memories of our times together.”

I read that McCartney had provided funds for Laine’s care. That wouldn’t surprise me, McCartney has done that for others from his past.

Laine was there from the beginning of Wings and stayed through the various lineup shuffles. He made the wild trip to Lagos, Nigeria to record the basic tracks for Band on the Run, which seems like an ironic title given the difficulties and danger of that experience.

Laine became McCartney’s faithful wingman (pardon the pun), occasionally co-writing or contributing a song, playing guitar or bass as needed, and lending harmony vocals. The very successful Wings Over America was a great concert to see in person. I recall camping out overnight at the venue in Kansas City to buy tickets at the box office when it opened.

The concert was magnificent and McCartney allowed Laine to sing “Go Now” as part of the show. May 26, 1976 was the date.

Rest in peace.