Long John Baldry

Long John Baldry belongs to that singular category of British musical curiosities—alongside Cliff Richard, Chris Farlowe, Slade, Blur, and eel pie—that have never translated smoothly to American tastes. His historical significance is clear: as a teenager in the 1950s he ranked among the first British singers to tackle folk and blues material. In the early 1960s he performed with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated, the band that also served as an early platform for Mick Jagger, Jack Bruce, and several other future rock figures. His contributions helped produce R&B at the Marquee, the first British blues album, issued in 1962. He next joined the Cyril Davies R&B All Stars and assumed leadership after Davies died in early 1964, at which point the group was renamed Long John Baldry and His Hoochie Coochie Men. Rod Stewart sang second vocals, and Geoff Bradford, who had played in a formative version of the Rolling Stones, handled guitar duties.

Mid-decade, Baldry helped assemble Steampacket, an early supergroup that also featured Stewart, Julie Driscoll, and Brian Auger. Once that ensemble disbanded, he fronted Bluesology, the group that gave keyboardist Reg Dwight—soon to perform as Elton John—his first high-profile job. Baldry remained a familiar presence on the London club circuit, even appearing as a guest with the Beatles on one of their 1964 British television specials during the height of the Fab Four’s fame, when Baldry himself was still virtually unknown.

Curiously, his biggest commercial breakthrough arrived not through blues but through sweeping pop ballads that recalled Engelbert Humperdinck. The 1967 single “Let the Heartaches Begin” reached number one in Britain, and he scored several other modest British hits in the late 1960s, the largest being “Mexico” (1968); none registered in the United States. That success led him to set aside blues on record for several years. He returned to blues and rock in 1971 with It Ain’t Easy, jointly produced by Rod Stewart and Elton John. The album yielded the minor American chart entry “Don’t Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie on the King of Rock’n’Roll.” Stewart and John again shared production on the 1972 follow-up, Everything Stops for Tea. Baldry never became an international draw, however, and by 1980 he had become a Canadian citizen. He kept recording, supplied commercial voice-overs, and voiced Doctor Robotnik in children’s cartoons. After several months battling a severe chest infection, Long John Baldry died on July 21, 2005, while hospitalized in Vancouver.