Long John Baldry
Like Cliff Richard, Chris Farlowe, Slade, Blur, and eel pie, Long John Baldry is one of those peculiarly British phenomena that doggedly resists American translation. As a historical figure, he has undeniable importance. When he began singing as a teenager in the 1950s, he was one of the first British vocalists to perform folk and blues music. In the early '60s, he sang in the band of British blues godfather Alexis Korner, Blues Incorporated, which also served as a starting point for future rock stars Mick Jagger, Jack Bruce, and others. As a member of Blues Incorporated, he contributed to the first British blues album, R&B at the Marquee (1962). He then joined the Cyril Davies R&B All Stars, taking over the group (renamed Long John Baldry and His Hoochie Coochie Men) after Davies' death in early 1964. This band featured Rod Stewart as a second vocalist, and also employed Geoff Bradford (who had been in an embryonic version of the Rolling Stones) on guitar.
In the mid-'60s, he helped form Steampacket, a proto-supergroup that also featured Stewart, Julie Driscoll, and Brian Auger. When Steampacket broke up, he fronted Bluesology, the band that gave keyboardist Reg Dwight -- soon to become Elton John -- his first prestigious gig. He was a well-liked figure on the London club circuit, and in fact the Beatles took him on as a guest on one of their 1964 British TV specials, at a time when the Fab Four could have been no bigger, and Baldry was virtually unknown.
Ironically, his greatest commercial success came not with blues, but orchestrated pop ballads that echoed Engelbert Humperdinck. The 1967 single "Let the Heartaches Begin" reached number one in Britain, and Baldry had several other small British hits in the late '60s, the biggest of which was "Mexico" (1968). (None of these made an impression in the U.S.)
The commercial success of his ballads led Baldry to forsake the blues on record for a few years. He returned to blues and rock in 1971 on It Ain't Easy, for which Rod Stewart and Elton John shared the production duties. The album contained a tiny American chart item, "Don't Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock'n'Roll," and Stewart and John split the production once again on the 1972 follow-up, Everything Stops for Tea. Baldry never caught on as an international figure, though, and by 1980 had become a Canadian citizen. He continued to record, and did commercial voice-overs as well as the voice of Doctor Robotnik in children's cartoons. After battling a severe chest infection for several months, Long John Baldry passed away on July 21, 2005, while hospitalized in Vancouver.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
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Diskografie
19 Album, -en • Geordnet nach Bestseller
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Boogie Woogie: The Warner Bros. Recordings
Soul - Erschienen bei Rhino - Warner Records am 01.01.2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Looking At Long John Baldry (The UA Years 1964-1966)
Jazz - Erschienen bei Parlophone Catalogue am 01.01.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let the Heartaches Begin
Pop - Erschienen bei Castle Communications am 01.01.2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Right To Sing The Blues
Blues - Erschienen bei Stony Plain Records am 26.11.1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Evening Conversation
Blues - Erschienen bei Hypertension am 01.01.1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of The Stony Plain Years
Blues - Erschienen bei Stony Plain Records am 16.06.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Everything Stops For Tea
Soul - Erschienen bei Rhino - Warner Records am 01.01.1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Remembering Leadbelly
Blues - Erschienen bei Stony Plain Records am 13.11.2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Stage Tonight – Baldry's Out (Live)
Blues - Erschienen bei Stony Plain Records am 21.09.1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
It Still Ain't Easy
Blues - Erschienen bei Stony Plain Records am 01.02.1991
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live Iowa State University 1987
Blues - Erschienen bei Cherry Red Records am 03.11.2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rock with the Best
Blues - Erschienen bei Hypertension am 25.04.1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In Concert in Baden-Baden Germany 1993 (Live)
Blues - Erschienen bei SWR am 28.01.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Silent Treatment
Blues - Erschienen bei Hypertension am 07.08.1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Original Story of Winnie the Pooh (Storyteller)
Kinder - Erschienen bei Walt Disney Records am 01.01.2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live In Berlin 1992
Blues - Erschienen bei Stony Plain Records am 18.12.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rhino Hi-Five: Long John Baldry
Rock - Erschienen bei Rhino - Warner Records am 27.03.2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pull On Through (Live Seattle '72)
Blues - Erschienen bei Blue Shrimp Recordings am 17.06.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Looking At Long John
World Music - Erschienen bei RE Musik und Media am 09.03.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo