{"id":55746,"date":"2025-07-23T08:52:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T12:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=55746"},"modified":"2025-07-23T08:52:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T12:52:12","slug":"on-stage-extra-john-lodge-is-helping-to-keep-the-sounds-of-the-moody-blues-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=55746","title":{"rendered":"On Stage Extra: John Lodge is helping to keep the sounds of the Moody Blues alive"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/div>\n
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John Lodge<\/p><\/div>\n

There was a time when the Moody Blues were one of the hottest bands in the rock music world.<\/p><\/div>\n

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In the United States, 14 of the group\u2019s albums reached Gold or Platinum status, according to the\u00a0Recording Industry Association of America.<\/div>\n
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From 1969-1971, the band had three Number 1 albums in the U.K. \u2013 \u201cOn the Threshold of a Dream,\u201d \u201cA Question of Balance\u201d and \u201cEvery Good Boy Deserves Favour\u201d \u2013 and one Number 2 U.K. album \u2013 \u201cTo Our Children\u2019s Children’s Children.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The British band also had several Number 1 singles including \u201cNights in White Satin,\u201d \u201cGemini Dream\u201d and \u201cYour Wildest Dreams.\u201d<\/div>\n

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The Moody Blues also had a very stable lineup. Founding members Graeme Edge\u00a0(drums, percussion, vocals; died 2021), Ray Thomas\u00a0(flute, harmonica, saxophone, percussion, vocal; died 2018) and Mike Pinder\u00a0(keyboards, vocals; died 2024) were all members from the start-to-end (1964-2018).<\/div>\n
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Justin Hayward\u00a0(guitar, vocals) and John Lodge\u00a0(bass, guitar, vocals) joined in 1966 and were with the band until the very end in 2018.<\/div>\n
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Both Lodge and Hayward are still touring with their own bands \u2013 Hayward with his Blue World Tour and Lodge with his with his \u201cSinger in a Rock and Roll Band\u201d show.<\/div>\n
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Lodge has put together a show that is called \u201cThe Moody Blues John Lodge — Singer in a Rock and Roll Band.\u201d It is billed as an \u201cevening packed full of Moody Blues Classic Hits.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The tour will touch down locally on July 23 at the Scottish Rite Auditorium (315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, New Jersey, scottishriteauditorium.com<\/a>).<\/div>\n
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When Lodge wrote the hit single, \u201cSinger,\u201d in 1972 it was because people were looking to him to change the world, and his reply was he\u2019s just a singer in a rock and roll band.<\/div>\n
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Despite time marching on, that is still who he is today. Lodge\u2019s shows take audiences on a Moody Blues journey through the hits and deep cuts of this magical catalogue, together with stories and memories of this time.<\/div>\n
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The concert features songs from \u201cthe core seven albums\u201d including \u201cDays of Future Passed,\u201d \u201cSeventh Sojourn,\u201d and more — plus \u201cOctave\u201d and the triple platinum selling album \u201cLong Distance Voyager!\u201d<\/div>\n
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For the last few years, Lodge had great success with his \u201cDays of Future Passed Tour.\u201d That tour has entered the history books. For this tour, Lodge wanted to go back to the basics.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI toured \u2018Days of Future Passed\u2019 for the last two years,\u201d said Lodge, during a phone interview last week from his home in Naples.<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s Naples, Florida \u2013 not Italy. I do also have a home in England — in Cobham, a small village with a river.<\/div>\n
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\u201cFor this tour, I said \u2013 let\u2019s just concentrate on Moody Blues songs from 1967-1985. It seems like the energy is right.<\/div>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a different era. We play our own music, and it sounds great in concert.\u201d<\/div>\n
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This summer, Lodge\u2019s set list will feature classics from the Moody Blues\u2019 first seven albums, including \u201cRide My See-Saw,\u201d \u201cGemini Dream,\u201d \u201cTuesday Afternoon,\u201d \u201cIsn\u2019t Life Strange,\u201d \u201cNights in White Satin,\u201d \u201cThe Voice,\u201d and, of course, \u201cI\u2019m Just a Singer (in a Rock and Roll Band).\u201d<\/div>\n
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Lodge, whose solo output has been rather limited, just released a new EP, \u201cLove Conquers All.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cI started writing the EP during COVID and finished it last year,\u201d said Lodge. \u201cThere are five tracks on the EP. It also comes on vinyl \u2013 red or blue. It\u2019s 180-gram vinyl that plays at 45 rpm.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe recorded the EP here at my home studio in Naples. We went to five different factories to find the right one to do the mastering. Finally, the mastering was done in Germany.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cLove Conquers All\u201d is a collection of deeply moving songs by Lodge — all written during difficult times yet reflecting the positive way in which he sees the world.<\/div>\n
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As Lodge explored his journey of healing, he invited different musicians to collaborate with him on each song, making each song unique, yet at the same time they all carry the same message… that love does conquer all.<\/div>\n
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\u201cLove will Conquer All,\u201d \u201cWhispering Angels\u201d and \u201cSunset over Cocohatchee Bay\u201d were all written through personal health challenges.<\/div>\n
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Lodge was recovering from his stroke around Christmas time in 2023. The song\u2019s lyrics were inspired by the love and support he was receiving from his family and close friends.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe stroke happened on Christmas Eve in 2023,\u201d said Lodge. \u201cI\u2019m still not fully recovered. Fortunately, I have a great physio who works with me. I feel great right now.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Lodge, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, is a native of Birmingham, England and a supporter of Birmingham City F.C.<\/div>\n
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He is also has been honored on Birmingham\u2019s Broad Street Walk of Stars which includes famous Brummies such as acclaimed author J.R.R. Tolkien, musician Roy Wood (The Move, Wizzard and ELO), international soccer legend Trevor Francis (the first \u00a31 million footballer) and metal music royalty, the recently-deceased Ozzy Osbourne (R.I.P., Ozzy \u2013 you will be missed).<\/div>\n
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For this tour, Lodge has assembled a top-flight band of veteran musicians.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe have Billy Ashburgh on drums,\u201d said Lodge. \u201cHe\u2019s from Orlando and has been with me or 10 years.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur cello player Jason Charbonneau is from Detroit. He\u2019s not a novelty. He plays an integral part. Dave Culquhone is the guitarist. He\u2019s from England and has played with Rick Wakeman.<\/div>\n
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\u201cJohn Davison, who was with Yes, does the lead vocals. I also do vocals in addition to playing bass.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic for me the way they play the music. They love the music. That\u2019s the main thing. The music has been parts of their lives.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u00a0In the original tour announcement, Lodge wrote, \u201cThe show came about following conversations with Graeme (Edge), Alan (Hewitt) and Jon (Davison)\u2026 This album and these Moody Blues songs changed our lives, they may even have changed the fans lives, and I felt they deserved to still be heard and experienced live as they were originally intended.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMy hope is that coming to one of my shows, you can close your eyes and we can all take a moment to turn back the clock as we celebrate this music together.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAlan, Jon, and my band have done an incredible job in realizing my vision. It was always important to me to remain true to the original whilst at the same time use modern sound and all the wonderful new technology to reveal the richness of these songs.<\/div>\n
\u201cThe tour, as with the album, is dedicated to Graeme, Justin, Ray and Mike, and to every fan, whether they joined back in 1967, or on any day since.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for John Lodge — https:\/\/youtu.be\/TYzdgyvXiQM<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe Moody Blues John Lodge — Singer in a Rock and Roll Band\u201dconcert will be held at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on July 23 at 7:30 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Tickets are $49.50, $59.50 and $85.<\/div>\n
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Lodge and his band will also be performing on July 24 at Wind Creek Bethlehem (77 Wind Creek Boulevard, Bethlehem, windcreek.com\/bethlehem<\/a>).<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times There was a time when the Moody Blues were one of the hottest bands in the rock music world. In the United States, 14 of the group\u2019s albums reached Gold or Platinum status, according to the\u00a0Recording Industry Association of America. From 1969-1971, the band had three Number 1 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8457],"tags":[7426,16117,16118],"class_list":["post-55746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-john-lodge","tag-the-moody-blues"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=55746"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55747,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55746\/revisions\/55747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/55748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=55746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=55746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}