It has been said that the name came from a 1961 Slim Harpo song, "Moody Blues." Another legend says that they wanted "Blues" in the title and Pinder's favorite song was "Mood Indigo" by Duke Ellington. (thanks Brad Wind - Miami, FL)
Pinder and Thomas began as members of El Riot and the Rebels. Laine was in Denny Laine and the Diplomats, whose drummer was future ELO member Bev Bevan. Edge was in Gerry Levene and the Avengers with another future ELOer, Roy Wood.
After his departure from the band, Laine became a member of Paul McCartney's Wings.
Thomas found Hayward by sifting through responses to an ad posted by Eric Burdon, who was looking for a new Animals lineup.
They established their own label, Threshold, as a subsidiary of Decca in 1969.
Moraz had been a member of Refugee and Yes before his work with the Moody Blues.
They began as a R&B band, part of the British Invasion. Once they began using a Mellotron, they developed their signature sound.
They appeared on an episode of The Simpsons that was set in Las Vegas. (thanks, Tom - Trowbridge, England)
The Moody Blues were the only band to regularly use a Mellotron (an early sort of synthesizer that used tape loops instead of electronic tone generators) in concerts. They could do this because Mike Pinder had worked for the company that had invented it, and he knew its workings so well. (thanks, Dennis - Anchorage, AK)
With the exception of a few years in the mid-1970s, the Moody Blues have toured and recorded since 1964. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
They are one of the first bands to achieve success with their own record label. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
John Lodge is a committed Christian and credits his faith with "avoiding the many pitfalls" that are prevalent in the culture of rock and roll. He and his wife have been married for over 30 years and have grown children. - JoAnne, Virginia Beach, VA
Justin Hayward has been recognized several times as one of the most influential guitar players in the world. John Lodge was named as one of the 10 most influential bass players by Bass Player Magazine. - JoAnne, Virginia Beach, VA
Justin Haywood also contributed the Jeff Wayne's musical "The War of the Worlds" which the track, "Forever Autumn" can be originally found. "Forever Autumn" appears on the Moody Blues' "The Very Best of the Moody Blues" LP. - Adrian, Los Angeles, CA
Justin Hayward and John Lodge collaborated on an excellent album project "Blue Jays" during a hiatus from the Moodies in 1974. As good or better than anything by the Moodies. - Charles, Charlotte, NC
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