Photo: Jim Vallee / Shutterstock.com
Sad news today in the world of classic rock. The Moody Blues drummer and founding member Graeme Edge has passed away at the age of 80s years old. No cause of death has been reported yet by his family or any members of The Moody Blues. It’s tough news for fans of The Moody Blues. Most fans of the group are not too far behind Graeme Edge in age with many being in their 60s, 70s and even 80s. Time just keeps moving on as those days of the 1960s for many, seem like just yesterday.
Some members of the band reached out to their fans through social media. Moody Blues member Justin Hayward announced the news on Facebook saying “Graeme’s sound and personality is present in everything we did together and thankfully that will live on.” John Lodge wrote on Twitter that Graeme Edge was ” The White Eagle of the North,’ and that he was the man who was the engine behind The Moody Blues with his stunning drumming and personality.Graeme Edge was one of the founding members of the The Moody Blues being with the group since it’s founding in 1964. He actually was the last original member. He also was the only member of The Moody Blues to appear on every album the band has ever released.
The Moody Blues were one of those classic rock bands that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame took forever to put in the hall. In fact the group was not inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame until 2018. During the band’s acceptance speech, Graeme Edge thanked everyone who had ever helped him and putting up with him Justin and John and told all the others who did not, to screw off. At least the man got to experience his band being placed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and got to enjoy it with his bandmates.
The Moody Blues were one of the most important bands in the development of progressive rock music in the 1960s. If you ever hear someone argue that the Moody Blues were not a progressive rock band (we hear it all the time from people) don’t listen to anything else they have to say because they have no idea what they are talking about. The Moody Blues defined the meaning of the word progressive in Progressive Rock. Graeme Edge played a vital role in the group’s sound as the drummer. His poetry and spoken words on the song “Nights In White Stain,” will forever stand as one of the great moments in rock and roll history. I can still hear that voice so clearly as I write this.
The Moody Blues released sixteen studio albums through their long career. Their first albums was released in 1965 called The Magnificent Moodies. Their last studio album was a Christmas release issued in 2003 entitled Christmas. There are countless compilation albums as well as live records that have also been released over the years.
Graeme Edge retired from the road in 2019.We don’t know if The Moody Blues had planned to do more shows or ever record new music. It’s been a long road for all the members of the band. It’s so sad that today Thursday November 11 2021 we lost a legendary musician, artist and man who brought so much joy to music fans for close to sixty years. Farewell Graeme Edge.
Moody Blues Graeme Edge Passes Away At 80 Years Old article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2021
Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business or any organizations is allowed to republish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission.
