Moody Blues bassist John Lodge keeps his drive as a singer in a rock and roll band
Rock music fans are fortunate John Lodge didn’t pursue his initial career goal.
The bassist for British progressive rock pioneers The Moody Blues had a boyhood dream of designing automobiles.
“I was fascinated by cars. And coming from Birmingham, which is car city, I could name all the cars by 10 — you know, recognize them — and I could sketch them out. I used to draw cars all the while. And I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do,’” he said.
“I’m pleased I didn’t follow that.”
Instead, a few years down the road, Lodge bought a Fender Precision Sunburst Bass and sought out records by Little Richard, John Lee Hooker, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis.
That set the stage for a lifetime of music that continues with Lodge playing Moody Blues standouts in his “Singer in a Rock and Roll Band” American tour that hits the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles Wednesday, Aug. 6, and the Des Plaines Theatre Thursday, Aug. 7.
The concert will feature tunes culled from classic albums such as “Days of Future Passed” and “Seventh Sojourn,” plus releases like “Octave” and the triple-platinum “Long Distance Voyager.”
Lodge will be joined by Yes vocalist Jon Davison and the 10,000 Light Years band of drummer Billy Ashbaugh, cellist Jason Charboneau, guitarist Dave Colquhoun, and keyboardist and music director Alan Hewitt, who has worked with Lodge on solo projects since 2015.
“It’s wonderful to be standing in front of them and know you’ve got these guys behind you delivering every time,” said Lodge, who in February released the EP “Love Conquers All,” whose origins and musings dated to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lodge joined The Moody Blues in 1966 upon an invitation by flutist Ray Thomas. The band had produced a hit with “Go Now” in 1965, and after personnel changes The Moody Blues released the innovative “Days of Future Passed” in 1967.
Recorded with the London Festival Orchestra, “Days of Future Passed” essentially created the template for album-oriented rock and progressive rock, which The Moody Blues continued to explore.
“There wasn’t another album like it really,” said Lodge, noting not only the music but the inclusion of drummer Graeme Edge’s poetry.
“There was no such thing as progressive rock. I remember they called us avant-garde, psychedelic, classical — a million names, but nobody thought of progressive rock,” Lodge said during a Zoom call from Philadelphia after flying in for rehearsals from his home in Surrey, England. His tour kicked off July 19 in New Jersey.
“I’ll be revisiting some songs I hope will take people by surprise,” he said. “A few surprises, a couple of songs I haven’t done for years.
“I hope people will go, ‘Well, he’s playing that song for me.’”
Inducted with The Moody Blues into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, as bassist, vocalist and composer Lodge was a mainstay of a group that has sold more than 70 million albums on the strength of 14 releases certified platinum or gold.
The winner of several American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) songwriting awards, Lodge earned a Prog Magazine lifetime achievement award in 2019 (introduced by friend Rick Wakeman of Yes fame), and with the band gained a 1985 Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
Had Lodge concentrated on cars and not chords, listeners would have been denied compositions such as “Ride My See-Saw,” “Isn’t Life Strange,” “Steppin’ in a Slide Zone,” and, of course, “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band).”
When touring, Lodge finds that a number of young listeners are singing along.
“I think the return of vinyl albums has made a big impact,” he said. “When you buy a vinyl album, what do you do? You start exploring, musically.”
His explorations on bass were inspired by players such as James Jamerson and Joe Mauldin of Buddy Holly’s band The Crickets.
“He played basic notes, but he played the right basic note at exactly the right time,” Lodge said of Mauldin.
“My philosophy, really, is I want the bass to represent the song completely. So when you hear the bass line you don’t need to hear anything else,” Lodge said.
“It’s a progression, I think, from James Jamerson, from Motown. When you hear his bass playing ‘do do do do,’ you know what the song is. And I thought, I’ve really got to play my bass the same.”
He’s been doing it for more than 60 years. Whether within the interplay onstage or performing for fans of all generations, Lodge still gets a kick out of being a singer — and bass player — in a rock ’n’ roll band.
“It is exciting when you meet the rest of your guys and they’re all raring to go, and they all want to show you something they’re learning. It’s great,” he said.
“Thanks to everyone for keeping the faith in me, and The Moody Blues, even. It’s an incredible journey, an unbelievable journey. So many people have been coming along on the journey with us, it’s fantastic.”
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The Moody Blues’ John Lodge: Singer in a Rock and Roll Band Tour
Arcada Theatre
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6
Where: 105 E. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $59-$128.75 at arcadalive.com/
Des Plaines Theatre
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7
Where: 1476 Miner St., Des Plaines
Tickets: $59-$128.75 at desplainestheatre.com/