So much of what got the British Invasion of the early 60's going was its dependence on American Soul and R&B material of the 50's and 60's for its inspiration. The Rolling Stones leaned heavily on the Chicago Blues masters. Even the Beatles in the very beginning borrowed a few numbers for their freshman outing.
The Moody Blues' very first hit, the song that got them started and paved the way for a long and healthy career came by way of tonight's track. Bessie Banks, who hasn't been heard from since the 1970's, turned out one of the memorable Soul tracks of 1964 with Go Now. With not a whole lot of changes in style or in production (maybe a few changes in harmonies and tempo here and there) they pretty much copied the original Banks track note for note.
And who could blame them? Go Now is one of the great heartbreak records of the 1960's. And Bessie Banks holds nothing back in getting her message across.
In case you haven't heard the original, and are only familiar with the Moody Blues version, here's your chance.
The evolution of Rock owes a lot to Bessie Banks, whether she realizes it or not.
