Long John Baldry
  • Real Name: John Baldry
  • Birth Date: 12th January 1941
  • Birth Place: London

    • Dubbed 'Long' John because of his towering 6 feet, 7 inch stature, Baldry was a popular artist at the many London blues venues available during the early 1960s. His deep husky voice suited the genre well and he enjoyed the company of many of the capital's top Blues musicians including the legendary Cyril Davies.

    Although he was a popular stage performer, particularly with female members of his audience, Baldry enjoyed no commercial success with his recordings until he changed his record company to Pye. There, he was put in the company of the great songwriting partnership of Macaulay and McLeod and given the chance to sing a romantic 'pop' ballad. The result was to give the songwriting team a consecutive UK #1, by displacing their previous songwriting triumph 'Baby, Now That I've Found You' by the Foundations from that position.

    However, his spell at the top was short lived and not really Baldry's scene. Despite a handful of minor hits, his pop music days were over by the end of the 1960s. Sadly, Baldry found it very difficult to return to the Blues he loved. His previous success in the London clubs had largely been forgotten and he became regarded by audiences as a member of the '1960s nostalgia club' and they expected to hear his old hit, not the blues material that he sang so well.

    After several abortive attempts to restart his UK career with help from old friends like Elton John and Rod Stewart he eventually emigrated to Canada where he continued to sing his deep husky blues.

    Sadly, Long John Baldry died in Vancouver, from a chest infection on July 22nd 2005, after suffering from respiratory problems over a long period.

    1950s & 1960s 45rpm UK Discography

    • Listings include UK 45 singles releases only
    • Collector's Items are shown In Red

    United Artists UP1056 1964 Up Above My Head/ You'll Be Mine  
    United Artists UP1078 1965 I'm On To You Baby/ Goodbye Baby  
    United Artists UP1107 1965 How Long Will It Last/ House Next Door  
    United Artists UP1124 1966 Unseen Hands/ Turn On Your Lovelight  
    United Artists UP1136 1966 The Drifter/ Only A Fool Breaks His Own Heart  
    United Artists UP1158 1966 Cuckoo/ Bring My Baby Back To Me  
    United Artists UP1204 1967 Only A Fool Breaks His Own Heart/ Let Him Go  
    Pye 7N17385 1967 Let The Heartaches Begin/ Annabella #1
    Pye 7N17455 1968 Hold Back the Daybreak/ Since I Lost You Baby  
    Pye 7N17563 1968 Mexico/ We're Together #15
    Pye 7N17593 1968 When The Sun Comes Shining Through/ Wise To The Ways Of The World #29
    Pye 7N17664 1969 It's Too Late Now/ Long And Lonely Nights #21
    Pye 7N17815 1969 Wait For Me/ Don't Pity Me  

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