“An Interview Jon Davison of YES about John Lodge”
By Marcela Oleson
John Lodge Celebration featuring the 10,000 Light Years Band and Jon Davison of YES
Friday, July 17 8pm -Nancy & David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre
Tickets: https://secure.rutheckerdhall.com/
The first time I heard “Nights in White Satin,” it came through the foam headphones of a Walkman, from a cassette a friend had recorded off the radio; hiss, DJ talk-over, and all. It didn’t matter. I had never heard anything like it. The song didn’t simply play; it arrived, like a dream that had learned to sing.
Now press fast-forward.
The cassette is long gone. The friend, the radio station, the Walkman, all gone. Yet somehow that music kept traveling for four decades until it led me to a conversation with Jon Davison, lead singer of Yes, John Lodge’s son-in-law, and now the musician entrusted with carrying forward Lodge’s extraordinary musical legacy.
Lodge gave The Moody Blues some of its most enduring songs, including “Ride My See-Saw,” “Isn’t Life Strange,” “Candle of Life,” “I’m Just a Singer,” “Steppin’ in a Slide Zone,” and “Emily’s Song.” Together, they revealed his rare gift for pairing memorable melodies with thoughtful lyrics that spoke to love, hope, and the shared human experience.
“It’s deeply heartfelt music,” Davison said. “It reaches deep into people’s hearts. There’s so much romance in both the lyrics and the melodies. It’s the music people fell in love to.”
Davison added, “He poured so much love into every song and always sought to communicate something universally positive.”
Over the years, Davison found the perfect way to describe Lodge’s songwriting.
“I used to tell him, ‘John, you write love letters to humanity through your lyrics.’ He always smiled when I said that.”
It’s difficult to imagine a more fitting tribute.
Whether reflective or energetic, Lodge’s songs unfolded like miniature stories, part philosophy, part poetry, but always searching for hope within the human experience.
That ambition helped define not only his songwriting but also The Moody Blues’ identity. Formed in Birmingham, England, the band found its classic lineup in 1966 when John Lodge and Justin Hayward joined Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas, and Graeme Edge.
“They set their sights on something far grander than what popular music was at the time,” Davison explained. “Much as The Beatles did with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Days of Future Passed pushed the boundaries of what a rock album could be.”
The Moody Blues weren’t simply writing songs; they were redefining what rock music could become. Their music blended orchestral arrangements, philosophical themes, and the haunting sound of the Mellotron, played masterfully by Mike Pinder. The tape-based keyboard gave the band its unmistakable cinematic atmosphere and helped define the emerging sound of progressive rock.
“They were creating longer, more ambitious pieces of music that were highly symphonic in scope,” Davison said. “They were true pioneers.”
Yet for Davison, Lodge’s greatest achievement wasn’t musical innovation.
“I think it was the way he poured his heart into his lyrics and the positive message he shared with people.”
That same spirit now guides The John Lodge Celebration Concert. For Davison, who steps into the demanding dual role of lead vocalist and bassist, carrying Lodge’s music forward is far more than another tour.
“It’s an absolute honor,” he said.
Then his voice became more personal.
“John was the center of peace in our family life.”
Before his passing, Lodge prepared him for this moment.
“On two occasions John said to me, ‘Someday this will all be yours, and I want you to carry it forward.'”
For Davison, these performances are not about replacing John Lodge but fulfilling his final wish.
“We’re bravely taking this music back to the stage, and we want it to be a joyful celebration of his songs and of the wonderful person he was…no, not was… is, because he’ll always live on in our hearts and minds.”
Whether these two tribute concerts, July 17 at the Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, Florida, and July 26 at the Esher Theatre in Surrey, England, remain a special two-show celebration or grow into something larger will ultimately depend on the audiences.
“We really want to see how audiences respond,” Davison said. “If they support it, they’ll want to come back and tell their friends to come along. That would give us the confidence that we should keep it going.”
One thing, however, already seems certain.
The music never stopped traveling.
Just as it found a teenager listening through a worn-out Walkman more than forty years ago, it continues to find new listeners and call old ones home. Some will remember exactly where they were when they first heard these songs. Others will soon discover them for the very first time.
And in July, only a few miles from the home where John Lodge spent his final years, those songs will once again fill a concert hall, proving that while the man is gone, the music he left behind is still finding its way into people’s lives.