60 years ago this Saturday, May 4th, fans celebrate the anniversary of the formation of The Moody Blues. The iconic band's journey began in 1964 when singer-guitarist Denny Laine, formerly of The Diplomats, teamed up with Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder, Graeme Edge, and Clint Warwick. The first called themselves The M&B Five, hoping to attract sponsorship from the brewery Mitchells & Butlers.
Talking about the band’s beginnings, Graeme Edge explained, "They owned a lot of pubs down in Birmingham and so we were hoping that they would love the name and book us into those a lot, which of course they didn't. And then we were stuck with the M and B as the initials."
Mike Pinder added, "So I thought, 'M&B'. One of my favorite things that had stuck with me was Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," you know, that piece of music, and I loved the name of it. So I said, 'Mood, moody, moody, moody, moody blue. M&B. Blue. Moody Blues. Moody Blues Five.'"
The initial lineup found success with their second single, a cover of the R&B hit "Go Now," which became their only number-one hit in England. However, the original lineup didn't last long. In mid-1966, Laine and Warwick left and were replaced by Justin Hayward and John Lodge. The revamped band found its footing in 1967 with the legendary album "Days of Future Passed." They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Following Graeme Edge's retirement, they decided to go their separate ways.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]