“He was never happier than being on stage – he was ‘Just a singer in a rock and roll band’”: John Lodge, Moody Blues bassist and singer, dies at 82

John Lodge, who played bass, sang, and wrote many a hit song for the legendary Moody Blues, has died at the age of 82, his family announced today (October 10) in a statement.

“It is with the deepest sadness that we have to announce that John Lodge, our darling husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, and brother has been suddenly and unexpectedly taken from us,” Lodge's family wrote on social media.

“As anyone who knew this massive hearted man knows, it was his enduring love of his wife, Kirsten, and his family, that was the most important thing to him, followed by his passion for music, and his faith.

“He was never happier than being on stage – he was ‘Just a Singer in a Rock and Roll Band’ and he adored performing with his band and son-in-law, Jon (Davison, vocalist for Yes), and being able to continue sharing this music with his fans.”

The full statement can be read below.

Born in Birmingham, England, in 1943, Lodge – like so many rockers-to-be of his time, was inspired by the likes of Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Everly Brothers.

As a teen, he became enmeshed in his home city's rock scene, and – as a member of the band El Riot & the Rebels – rubbed shoulders with some of his future Moody Blues bandmates.

Though he left the band to pursue a degree, Lodge was eventually pulled back into music, joining the Moody Blues – who had fallen on hard times after hitting it big in 1964 with a chart-topping cover of Bessie Banks' Go Now – in 1966.

With little to lose, the band made a turn in the high-minded, psychedelic direction, releasing the now-classic Days of Future Passed in 1967.

Though inevitably overshadowed by other seminal, arty releases from rock royalty that year – Sgt. Pepper's, Their Satanic Majesties Request, and such – Days of Future Passed foreshadowed what would become known as prog-rock; with sweeping, multi-part epics and thematic through-lines, with some radio candy here and there.

Though relatively new to the group, Lodge had multiple writing and singing credits on the ultimately hugely successful album, including the stand-alone Lunch Break: Peak Hour.

Lunch Break: Peak Hour - YouTube

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The Moody Blues would continued their progressive course for a couple of years, before stripping things back a bit as the '70s dawned. All the while, Lodge remained a vital instrumental, songwriting, and vocal presence.

The band's commercial peak came in 1972, with Seventh Sojourn. The band's first chart-topping LP in the United States, it was driven by not one, but two, Lodge-penned singles, the most famous of them being the hard-driving I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band), one of the band's biggest Stateside hits.

The Moody Blues - I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band) - YouTube

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Asked how the song came about in a 2015 interview with Guitar World, Lodge said, “At that time, people had decided that various groups had the answer to everything. People would always come up to me and say I was going to be doing this or that.

“I remember coming out of my house one day and people were outside standing at my gate saying, ‘We're here because you're going to be flying the spaceship to save the world!’ I said, ‘No. I'm not going to be doing that. I actually don't even like flying!’ But they persisted and kept saying I was the chosen one to fly the spaceship. That’s when I said, ‘No, I'm not. I'm just a bass player who sings in a band!’”

The Moody Blues proved to be impressively commercially and creatively resilient, cranking out hit albums – always with sophisticated, radio-friendly contributions from Lodge – deep into the 1980s.

Indeed, the bassist remained with the group until they ceased touring in 2018. He released four solo albums – two during the Blues' heyday, 2015's 10,000 Light Years Ago, and 2023's Days of Future Passed - My Sojourn, a reimagining of the Moody Blues' seismic sophomore effort.

“I’m very sad and shocked to hear of John’s passing,” Lodge's bandmate of 50 years, Justin Hayward, wrote on social media. “I have such happy memories of making music together. My sincere condolences to his dear wife and family.”