finetune artist: Long John Baldry

b. John William Baldry, 12 January 1941, England, d. 21 July 2005, Vancouver, Canada. Beginning his career playing folk and jazz in the late 50s, Baldry toured with Ramblin' Jack Elliott before moving into R&B. His strong, deep voice won him a place in the influential Blues Incorporated, following which he joined Cyril Davies' R&B All Stars. After Davies' death, Long John fronted the Hoochie Coochie Men, which also included future superstar Rod Stewart, who later joined Baldry in Steam Packet (featuring Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll). After a brief period with Bluesology (which boasted a young Elton John on keyboards), Baldry decided to go solo and record straightforward pop. Already well known on the music scene, he nevertheless appeared an unusual pop star in 1967 with his sharp suits and imposing 6 foot 7 inch height. Composer/producer Tony Macaulay and his partner John Macleod presented him with the perfect song in "Let The Heartaches Begin", a despairing ballad which Baldry took to number 1 in the UK in 1967. His chart career briefly continued with the Olympic Games theme, "Mexico", the following year, which also made the Top 20.

Listen to Long John Baldry at Finetune.

(2007) Rhino Hi-Five: Long John Baldry
(2006) The Original Story of Winnie the Pooh
(2005) Everything Stops For Tea

Don't Try To Lay No Boogie-Woogie On The King Of Rock And Roll
It Ain't Easy
You Can't Judge A Book
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