Long John Baldry 1941-2005

Born on the 12th of January 1941…John William  Baldry  was an British and Canadian blues singer and voice actor. Baldry’s birth was registered in Brixworth Registration District. His early life was spent in Edgware, Middlesex where he attended Camrose Primary School until the age of 11, after which he attended Harrow Downer Grammar School.
He grew to 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), resulting in the nickname “Long John”. He was one of the first British vocalists to sing blues in clubs. Baldry appeared quite regularly in the early ’60s in the Gyre and Gymble coffee lounge, around the corner from Charing Cross railway station. He sometimes appeared on Eel Pie Island, on the Thames at Twickenham and at the Station Hotel in Richmond…one of the Rolling Stones’ earliest gigs.
In the early 1960s, he sang with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, with whom he recorded the first British blues album in 1962, titled, “R&B from the Marquee”. At stages, Mick Jagger, Jack Bruce and Charlie Watts were members of this band while Keith Richards and Brian Jones played on stage. When The Rolling Stones made their debut at the Marquee Club in July 1962, Baldry put together a group to support them. Later, Baldry was the announcer introducing the Stones on their US-only live album, Got Live If You Want It!, in 1966. Rod Stewart and Elton John also appeared in bands led by Baldry in the 1960s.
Baldry became friendly with Paul McCartney after a show at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in the early 1960s, leading to an invitation to sing on one of The Beatles 1964 TV specials.
Following the death in 1964 of Cyril Davies, Baldry took over the group and renamed it Long John Baldry and his Hoochie Coochie Men featuring Rod Stewart on vocals and Stewart was recruited after Baldry heard him busking a Muddy Waters song at Twickenham station after Stewart had been to a gig at Eel Pie Island.
In 1965, the Hoochie Coochie Men became Steampacket with Baldry and Stewart as male vocalists,  After Steampacket broke up in 1966, Baldry formed Bluesology featuring Reg Dwight on keyboards and Elton Dean, on guitar. Dwight adopted the name Elton John, his first name from Dean and his surname from Baldry.
Bluesology broke up in 1968, with Baldry continuing his solo career
In 1968 he recorded top a 20 hit titled “Mexico”, which was the theme of the UK Olympic team that year.
In 1971, John and Stewart each produced one side of It Ain’t Easy which became Baldry’s most popular album and made the top 100 of the US album charts. The album featured “Don’t Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll” which became his most successful song in the US.
The two would again co-produce his 1972 album Everything Stops For Tea which made the lower reaches of the US album charts.
In 1978, Baldry settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he gained citizenship in that country. His 1997 album Right To Sing The Blues won a Juno Award in the Blues Album of the Year category in the Juno Awards of 1997. He continued to make records and do voiceover work. One of his best known roles in voice acting was as Dr Robotnik in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Baldry’s final UK Tour concluded with a performance on Saturday 13 November 2004 at The King’s Lynn Arts Centre, in Norfolk.
Long John Baldry died on 21 July 2005 in Vancouver.

Source:Wikipedia