Moody Blues drummer, co-founder Graeme Edge dies at 80


PTI, Nov 12, 2021, 1:57 PM IST

Los Angeles: Graeme Edge, a drummer and co-founder of The Moody Blues, has died. He was 80. The band’s frontman Justin Hayward confirmed Edge’s death Thursday on the group’s website. The cause of his death has not been revealed. Hayward called Edge the backbone of the British rock band, which was inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. The band’s last album was released in 2003.

“When Graeme told me he was retiring I knew that without him it couldn’t be the Moody Blues anymore,” Hayward said. “And that’s what happened. It’s true to say that he kept the group together throughout all the years, because he loved it.” In 1964, Edge co-founded the group in Birmingham, England.

His drumming expertise was a key ingredient for the band’s massive prog-rock hits between the 1960s-70s including “Nights in White Satin,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” and “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band).” “In the late 1960s we became the group that Graeme always wanted it to be, and he was called upon to be a poet as well as a drummer,” said Hayward, who joined The Moody Blues in 1966 with bassist John Lodge after Denny Laine’s departure from the band. “He delivered that beautifully and brilliantly, while creating an atmosphere and setting that the music would never have achieved without his words,” he continued.

“I asked Jeremy Irons to recreate them for our last tours together and it was absolutely magical.” Edge was featured in The Moody Blues’ 16 studio albums starting with “The Magnificent Moodies” in 1965 and ending with their final album, the Christmas-themed “December” in 2003. Lodge paid homage to Edge on the band’s Facebook page, also lauding him for his spoken word talents. “To me he was the White Eagle of the North with his beautiful poetry,” he said. “His friendship, his love of life and his unique’ style of drumming that was the engine room of the Moody Blues. … I will miss you Graeme.”

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Have won in people’s court, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on by-poll results

Look forward to being your voice in Parliament: Priyanka to people of Wayanad

No row over Maharashtra CM’s post; leaders of Mahayuti will decide: Fadnavis

Delhi Police arrests ‘proclaimed offender’ from Mumbai

Pant may go for higher than Rs 25 crore, owners would not want to miss his X-factor: Raina

Karnataka Assembly bypolls victory: Shivakumar gives credit to CM Siddaramaiah’s leadership

JD(S) breathing its last with Nikhil’s defeat in Channapatna: Yogeeshwara

Related Articles More

Awards don’t create value for independent films in India: Manoj Bajpayee

Aryan Khan to debut as director with Netflix series in 2025, SRK welcomes son to showbiz

AR Rahman, wife Saira Banu separating after 29 years of marriage: lawyer

Success can isolate you and lead to failure: Shah Rukh Khan

Salman loved it, SRK didn’t believe in the film: Rakesh Roshan ‘Karan Arjun’ re-release

MUST WATCH

Naxal Leader Vikram Gowda

Christmas Cake Fruit Mixing

DK Shivakumar

Rose Cultivation

Geethotsava


Latest Additions

Have won in people’s court, says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on by-poll results

Not many takers for NOTA in these assembly polls too

UP: Former BJP MLC, aides booked for assaulting man in Shahjahanpur

Look forward to being your voice in Parliament: Priyanka to people of Wayanad

NDA-BJP candidates wining UP bypolls proof of people’s faith in PM Modi: Yogi

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.