Photograph: Pete Continue to/Redferns by using Getty Photographs
Richard Tandy, the keyboardist of Electric powered Light-weight Orchestra, has died. He was 76. Tandy’s bandmate Jeff Lynne broke the information on Twitter, writing “It is with excellent sadness that I share the information of the passing of my prolonged-time collaborator and dear pal Richard Tandy. He was a exceptional musician & friend and I’ll cherish the lifetime of recollections we experienced collectively.” Tandy satisfied Electrical Light-weight Orchestra member Bev Bevan at college. He first joined ELO as a bassist, but transitioned to keys and figured heavily in their rising prog rock seem. According to the Guardian, Tandy performed “Minimoog synthesiser, a Wurlitzer electric piano, the Clavinet, Mellotron and piano.” On “Mr. Blue Sky,” probably the band’s most important hit, Tandy supplied piano, synth, and the song’s legendary vocoder. The track has been coated by The Electrical Mayhem, Weezer, and Nerf Herder (the band that did the Buffy: the Vampire Slayer concept music). It has featured on the soundtracks of several films — which include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Thoughts, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Tremendous Mario Bros. Film, and Paul Blart: Shopping mall Cop — and was the initial selection for The Office (U.S.)’s concept tune. Tandy was inducted with the Electrical Gentle Orchestra into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame in 2017. ELO even now holds the Billboard file for most Warm 100 music without a No. 1 hit.
