A founding member of the Moody Blues, Mike Pinder played keyboards with the group during its glory years, from the early days as a raucous R’n’B combo through the prog-rock era when his inventive use of synthesizers came to define the group’s groundbreaking symphonic sound.
The versatility of his musicianship was impressive. He played the memorable, bluesy descending piano chord sequence on their No 1 hit Go Now in January 1965. Then he pioneered the use of the mellotron, an early prototype synthesizer that he helped to develop in his time as an engineer at Streetly Electronics, the firm which manufactured the instrument.
The mellotron became central to the Moody Blues’ lush, orchestrated sound on hits such as Nights in White Satin and on albums