Mike Pinder, keyboard participant and founding member of UK prog legends the Moody Blues, has died, elderly 82, it’s been showed by way of his circle of relatives and fellow Moody Blues colleague John Resort, with whom Pinder is pictured above on the thirty third Annual Rock & Roll Corridor of Reputation Induction Rite in April 2018.
Pinder have been the closing surviving founding member of the band. Drummer Graeme Edge handed in 2021, vocalist and flautist Ray Thomas died in 2018, with unique guitarist Denny Laine passing closing 12 months. Clint Warwick, the unique bassist, died in 2004.
His circle of relatives stated in a remark, “Michael Thomas Pinder died on Wednesday, April twenty fourth, 2024 at his house in Northern California, surrounded by way of his faithful circle of relatives. Michael’s circle of relatives want to percentage along with his relied on pals and being concerned fanatics that he handed peacefully. His ultimate days had been full of tune, encircled by way of the affection of his circle of relatives. Michael lived his lifestyles with a childlike surprise, strolling a deeply introspective trail which fused the thoughts and the guts.
“He created his tune and the message he shared with the sector from this spiritually grounded position; as he at all times stated, “Stay your head above the clouds, however stay your ft at the flooring.” His original essence lifted up everybody who got here into touch with him. His lyrics, philosophy, and imaginative and prescient of humanity and our position within the cosmos will contact generations to come back.”
His former Moody Blues colleague John Resort stated “All of the love imaginable is going out from the Resort circle of relatives to Mike’s circle of relatives nowadays… RIP.”
In addition to the tune he created with the Moody Blues, Pinder will easiest be remembered as an recommend of era, particularly his pioneering paintings with the Mellotron.
Pinder helped shape the Moody Blues again in 1964 and so they had an preliminary hit with Move Now, but it surely wasn’t till 1967, through which time Justin Hayward and John Resort had changed Laine and Warwick respectively, that the band started to upward thrust in reputation, transferring their sound from the early R’n’B roots to a extra innovative and symphonic sound with their 2d album Days Of Long term Handed.
Pinder had moved to Malibu, California all the way through the band’s mid-70s hiatus and once they reconvened in 1977 to start out paintings on Octave he declined complete participation, being changed by way of former Sure keyboardist Patrick Moraz.
Pinder launched his debut solo album, The Promise, in the course of the Moodies’ file label Threshold in 1976. A 2d solo album, Amongst The Stars, adopted in 1994 and A Planet With One Thoughts a 12 months later. Clear of tune Pinder labored as a specialist to the Atari Company.
Glad to stick out of the limelight, Pinder was once inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Reputation as a member of The Moody Blues in 2018, however was once the one member of the band who didn’t give an acceptance speech, pronouncing “Many MB fanatics have requested why I didn’t discuss on the induction however by the point the Moodies took the degree we had been 5 hours into the rite. The oldest of the inductees had been up the most recent. The speeches had been just a little anti-climatic at that time and it was once best becoming that the present traveling contributors (Edge, Hayward and Resort) spoke first. I’m glad that we in the end were given inducted for our fanatics’ sake. As I’ve stated for the closing 30 years ‘the fanatics are my corridor of repute’.”
