Long John Baldry, remembered

Born in London, England (12 January 1941) he began his career playing folk and jazz in the late 50s. He 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’s R&B All Stars. After Davies’s death, Long John fronted the Hoochie Coochie Men, which also included future superstar Rod Stewart, who later joined Baldry in Steampacket (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 tall pop star in 1967 with his sharp suits. Composer/producer Ibny MacAuley and his partner John McLeod presented 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 continued with the Olympic Games theme ‘Mexico’ the following year, which also made the Top 20.

By the end of the 60s, however, the hits had ceased and another change of direction was ahead. Furs and a beard replaced the suits and the neat, short haircut, as Long John attempted to establish himself with a new audience. With production assistance from former colleagues Rod Stewart and Elton John, he recorded a strong album, It Ain't Easy, but it failed to sell.
After a troubled few years in New York and Los Angeles he emigrated to Vancouver, Canada, where he performed on the club circuit. In the early 90s his voice was used as Robotnik on the Sonic The Hedgehog computer game. After many years a new Baldry album was released in 1993, subtly titled It Still Ain’t Easy.

 He passed away on 21 July 2005.