For the Moody Blues, and especially its fans, it’s about time the long-lived group received a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination.
Now the question is whether it will be time for an actual induction.
“It’s early days. We have to see what happens,” bassist John Lodge tells Billboard. “It’s a nomination. I really don’t know how these things work after that, so just to be nominated at this stage is fantastic.”
It’s a hard-fought nomination, too.
The Moodys have long been considered one of the Rock Hall’s greatest omissions, and fans have mounted a particularly aggressive campaign on the group’s behalf. When its first-ever nomination was announced on Thursday (Oct. 5), Moodys members Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge issued a joint statement saying, “We are very honored to be considered for an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We know that the fans have been diligently supporting us along the way on this, and that it means a lot to them, as well as to us. Being a British band, we are grateful for our American recognition, and especially to fans who have been with us throughout our musical journey.”
Lodge says he himself has never felt slighted by the Moodys’ exclusion from the Rock Hall, however. “I got into rock n’ roll when I was 12, and I never worked for any accolades at all,” he says. “I just wanted to make my music, and the other things that have come along the way have just been tremendous, and (the nomination) is something else that has come along the way. People say, ‘Did you ever dream about these things,’ and the answer is no, I never did. I didn’t know what dream I was trying to chase. All I wanted to do is play my bass and sing my songs, and that has led me everywhere in life.”
Lodge says he and his Moody mates have been well aware of the fans’ desire to have the band in the Rock Hall. “They’re not just fans; We’re all a part of the music, and I think because of that they felt slighted that the Moody Blues are not in the Hall of Fame,” Lodge says. “They’ve just been incredible and supported us non stop.”
Speaking to Billboard last fall, Hayward shared his warm feelings toward the Rock Hall’s museum in Cleveland. “I’ve actually worked there quite a few times,” Hayward noted. “I’ve done a couple of benefits there and we premiered the Isle of Wight DVD there, and the actual people there are lovely. But I am going to kick it in one respect; The first time I went there I was really disappointed by the small amount of space they’ve given to Buddy Holly, who for me and most English boys of my generation, Elvis (Presley) might have been the king but Buddy was No. 1.”
A Moodys induction could lead to a potential reunion of the group’s most famous lineup. Hayward, Lodge and Edge remain active in the group, while keyboardist Mike Pinder left the band during 1978 and flutist Ray Thomas retired in 2002, though both made guest appearances on Lodge’s 2015 solo album 10,000 Light Years Ago. Not included in the nomination are co-founding members Denny Lane or the late Clint Warwick, or keyboardist Patrick Moraz.
Lodge will be releasing a solo live album this fall and playing a short U.S. tour starting Oct. 26, while the Moodys recorded and filmed one of the Days Of Future Passed 50th anniversary shows for subsequent release. The group sets sail on its Moody Blues Cruise on Jan. 2 out of Miami and follows with a short U.S. tour that winds up with four nights at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Fan voting for the Rock Hall has opened at www.rockhall.com and will run through December 5. Inductees for the Rock Hall class of 2018 will be announced in December, with the ceremony taking place April 14 at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland and filmed by HBO for subsequent broadcast.