The Vancouver Sun from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 56

ARTS LIFE LONG JOHN BALDRY Blues legend was mentor to Rod Stewart, Elton John He played with rock's greats and called Vancouver home BY JOHN MACKIE VANCOUVER SUN VAT- 1 Singer Rod Stewart (left) hugs his mentor and cult hero Long John Baldry In Vancouver in 1998. 1 i )) v- 1 1r' if v'A i y) VI. "St.1 1 British blues legend Long John Baldry died late Thursday at Vancouver General Hospital after a four-month battle with a chest infectioa He was 64. Baldry was a larger than life figure, literally. He stood six-foot-seven, had a flamboyant style and possessed a deep, booming voice that was instantly recognizable.

And he cut quite a figure onstage. "He stalked the stage like a vaudevillian," said Tom Lavin of the Powder Blues. "He was really something. He was the ultimate of 'the show must go He could be in complete pain, but when the spotlight came on him and there was his audience out there loving him, he forgot everything and became young again. "It was pretty amazing.

There's very few performers I've seen that do that. Tina Turner is another one, and Jerry Lee Lewis. They're plugged into powers from beyond." Baldry had several hits throughout the years, but his biggest claim to fame was discovering and mentoring future superstars Elton John and Rod Stewart, who played in his bands in the early 1960s. "Long John Baldry launched me on my musical journey," Stewart said in a statement. "He always had encouraging words when I was just getting out there as a performer at 16.

He gave me a start in his band and had a knack for discovering and mentoring talent. He might not have been a legend in the proverbial sense, but he's a cult hero with his own following and definitely been my mentor. "I will miss him and his wonderful phone messages with that accent of his, 'Dear Roddy, How the hell are John taught me so much things that apply to my life and things that made me the human being I am today." John William Baldry was born in London and was one of first stars of the British blues movement in the 1960s. Elton John played piano in Baldry's band Bluesology, and Stewart played alongside Baldry in the Hoochie Coochie Men and Steam Packet. Jeff Beck, Ginger Baker and Brian Jones also played with Baldry in the early days, and Eric Clapton lists him as a key inspiration.

Baldry also toured with a who's who of British rock, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks. "His legacy is absolutely incredible," said former Rolling Stones 1 5 VANCOUVER SUN FILES rapher Dee Lippingwell. "Everybody said 'Poor John. Elton made it, and Rod Stewart made it, and he discovered them But I think in his mind, he made it. He travelled, he met all sorts of musicians.

In the blues world, he was 'right up there." Baldry was an incredible storyteller and possessed a wicked sense of humour. He loved to hold court in the Kitsilano penthouse he shared with his longtime companion, Felix (Oz) Rexach. "He was a definite evening guy," recalls Lippingwell. "I would never phone John before noon. Never.

Half the time I went over there he'd be in his robe. 'Oh excuse me, but I had a late night last night. You don't mind, do you Dee Baldry had some health problems in recent years, but Lavin said he appeared healthier after he had hip surgery. Rexach said Baldry fell ill after returning from a European tour earlier this year, and never recovered. "He had pneumonia and then he ended up with the superbug, which is antibiotic resistant," said Rexach.

"It just finished him off." In spite of his health problems, Baldry remained quite upbeat to the end. Oldham marvelled at Baldry's passion for the blues when he was young, and he says Baldry retained that passion for music, and life, to the end. "Look at how many moaners we've got in the music business," said Oldham. "John was never a moaner. He was an enthusiast.

If he had a rallying cry, it was 'Aren't we And we are lucky. We're lucky to have served with him." imackiepng.canwest.com 604-605-2126 DEE LIPPINGWELLSPECIAL TO THE VANCOUVER SUN Long John Baldry released 20 albums and 25 singles in his four-decade career and retained his passion for the blues and was upbeat to the end. manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who reconnected with Baldry when Oldham moved to Vancouver three years ago. "He was the doyen of the friendliness of the swinging '60s, when life was a beam and everybody wished you well I will never forget his eyes. The eyes welcomed you ia" Baldry released 20 albums and 25 singles in his four-decade career.

In 1962, he sang on the first British blues album, From the Marquee by Alexis Korner's Blues Inc. In 1964 he released his first solo album, Long John's Blues. His most successful album was It Ain't Easy in 1971. His biggest hit was the British number-1 Let the Heartaches Begin in 1967. His other big hits were Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woo-gie on the King of Rock and Roll in 1971 and You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling in 1979 (a duet with Kathi McDonald).

Disillusioned with the punk scene in England, he moved to Canada in 1980, first to Toronto and then Vancouver in 1985. He was a hard-working musician, touring North America and Europe and doing voice-over work in between. He did hundreds of TV and radio commercials, and the voices for several animated cartoons, including Capt. Capacitor and Old Man Pearson on ReBoot and Dr. Ivo Robotnik on The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

He received a Grammy nomination for his spoken-word recording of Winnie the Pooh in 1997. Baldry never became a household name like many of his peers, but it didn't seem to bother him. "He wasn't a millionaire by any means, but he didn't just get by," said his friend Vancouver photog msmmi 1 mmmrn- Tiie woi iJ'i) luoai bank la aimciilioi with DC hydra 5MRRY XA i -1 Evening Spimon 'li" wimi A A gr I i Prtmium Partner Media Partner! li TOURISM it jmmL a 1 CITY OF VANCOUVER Global CONC0RD Hvaffoods UMUCMiMli mm HlHIIfill FAMOUS PIAYFHS ii OMMAKK NOW Pi- All Vm IsiLVERcrn1 tinseltown 12 1 1 Al I (ANCfc I I FREQUENT FIFTH avenues I Wp ExBcutivs Praduca: Frani Fumdo 1-.