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| Ray Thomas in recent years |
Ray had been retired from touring with the band for the last 15 years or so, but I was fortunate enough to have seen him perform with the band maybe 8 or 10 times between 1982 and his retirement from the band in 2002 (has it possibly been that long??). His rich powerful voice was amazing, even though he was not considered one of the lead singers of the band (and less and less as the years went by).
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| Earlier times |
Ray was less active with the band in later years, but he wrote a bunch of great songs from the "core seven" albums between 1967 and 1972.
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| Moody Blues from the core seven years |
He would probably be best known for the flute solo on Nights in White Satin, but Moodies fans would probably pick Legend of a Mind (this link is Royal Albert Hall in 2000, not the famous Red Rocks show as it claims to be) performed live as his most lasting contribution. The band retired Legend when Ray left, and I still miss it. Shows always ended with Nights, Legend, Question and Ride My Seesaw...
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| Ray on stage, 1990's |
Other favorites of mine that were written by Ray include And the Tide Rushes In, For My Lady, Eternity Road, Our Guessing Game. There are many more.
It is nice that the announcement that the Moodies were being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year came before Ray's passing, but that is probably a more important event for the fans than the band.
I had hoped that the band's induction would bring Ray and Mike Pinder back on stage one last time. Sadly, that can't happen now (and likely wouldn't have anyway).
Thanks for the memories, Ray. And all the great music.
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