Entertainment
John Lodge, Longtime Moody Blues Bassist and Vocalist, Dies at 82
John Lodge, bassist and vocalist for symphonic prog-rock greats The Moody Blues for over 50 years, died this week. A post from his family appeared on his official Facebook page Friday morning (Oct. 10) announcing that Lodge “has been suddenly and unexpectedly taken from us.” He was 82.
Lodge was born in the suburbs of Birmingham, England in 1948. After falling in love with rock and roll in its early days, he started playing in Birmingham bands in the early ’60s and met Ray Thomas, who would soon become a founding member of the Moody Blues. When that band’s original bassist Clint Warwick left the group in 1966, Lodge stepped in at his replacement.
At the time he joined the band, The Moody Blues had scored just one real chart hit, a blue-eyed soul cover of Bessie Banks’ “Go Now!” that peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1965. Following the addition of Lodge (as well as new guitarist and singer Justin Hayward), the band took a turn towards more symphonic, progressive and psychedelic rock. The band’s first album in its new configuration, 1967’s ambitious Days of Future Passed was not a big chart hit at first, but did spawn another Hot 100 hit in the No. 22-peaking “Tuesday Afternoon,” and began to win over a devoted fanbase with its lush arrangements and panoramic performance and presentation.
The band’s albums grew increasingly successful through the late ’60s and early ’70s, as the band hit the top five of the Billboard 200 with each of 1970’s A Question of Balance, 1971’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and 1972’s Seventh Sojourn — its first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — while spinning off Hot 100 hits like 1970’s “Question” (No. 21) and 1971’s “The Story in Your Eyes” (No. 23). The band’s biggest hit of all would not come from these ’70s albums, however, but from a revived highlight of Days of Future Passed, as that album’s climactic epic “Nights in White Satin” reached No. 2 in late 1972, five years after its initial release.
Lodge’s sturdy bass lines were a big part of anchoring songs like “Satin” and 1973’s rollicking No. 12 hit “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band),” helping keep their majestic arrangements from ever drifting off into pomposity. Lodge also wrote and sang on “Singer,” as well as on 1972 No. 29 hit “Isn’t Life Strange,” and he and Hayward co-wrote and split lead vocals on the band’s 1981 No. 12 hit “Gemini Dream.”
Following the band’s massive 1972 commercial peak with Sojourn and the revitalized “Satin,” it went on hiatus, as Lodge and Hayward worked on the 1975 album Blue Jays, a top 20 Billboard 200 success with a couple minor Hot 100 hit singles in “I Dreamed Last Night” (No. 47) and “Blue Guitar” (No. 94) — the only hits Lodge ever scored on the chart under his own name. Lodge also released his solo debut with 1977’s Natural Avenue, though the album saw limited success.
The Moody Blues picked back up in the late ’70s, and continued to thrive through the ’80s with a poppier, more synth-than-strings-driven sound. The band even found success on MTV with 1986’s “Your Wildest Dreams,” its second and final top 10 Hot 100 hit (No. 9), thanks to a plot-driven, Brian Grant-directed video. In the ’90s, the band’s commercial success dwindled, but it continued touring successfully well into the 21st century, with Lodge staying on as a core member until its official dissolution in 2018, the year the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Lodge also recorded a second solo album in 2015, 10,000 Light Years Ago, and began touring solo, including a 2019 stint supporting fellow prog rock titans Yes. The same year, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award from the Prog Awards, honoring his half-century of greatness within the genre. Most recently, he released this February’s solo EP Love Conquers All.
The cause of Lodge’s death is still unknown. See the complete Facebook post announcing his passing below, as well as a clips of a few of his most legendary works with The Moody Blues, and the title track to his final solo release.
Announcement from John’s Family
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. 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 (vocalist with YES), and being able to continue sharing this music with his fans. It gave him even more joy to be able to work with his daughter Emily and son Kristian and spend time watching his grandson John-Henry play football and dream of him playing for Birmingham City one day!
John peacefully slipped away surrounded by his loved-ones and the sounds of The Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly. We will forever miss his love, smile, kindness, and his absolute and never-ending support. We are heartbroken, but will walk forwards into peace surrounded by the love he had for each of us. As John would always say at the end of the show, thank you for keeping the faith.
Please understand that we are not making any further comments, however we would like to leave you with John’s song ’Whispering Angels’ whilst we take a moment to reflect on this incredible man who touched so many lives.”
Anuel AA returns to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart with “Pórtate Bonito,” his first team-up with Blessd. The track flies 9-1 on the Nov. 8-dated list, Anuel’s first champ in over three years.
Released August 21 on Real Hasta La Muerte, “Pórtate Bonito” was initially announced on Anuel’s Instagram account on August 6, alongside news that Blessd would join him on his RHLM 2 tour.
The collab, produced by Ovy on The Drums, surges 9-1 in its seventh week on the chart with the Greatest Gainer weekly honors, after a 32% boost in audience impressions, to 7.6 million, logged during the Oct. 24-30 tracking week, as reported by Luminate.
The new win marks Anuel’s first No. 1 in over three years, since “Ley Seca,” with Jhayco, ruled for one week in February 2022. In sum, he’s placed 11 rulers, here’s a recap of those since “Ella Quiere Beber,” with Romeo Santos, in 2019:
Title, Artist, Peak, Weeks at No. 1
“Ella Quiere Beber,” with Santos, Feb. 2, 2019, one
“Secreto,” with Karol G, May 4, 2019, one
“Baila Baila Baila,” with Ozuna, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin & Farruko, May 11, 2019, one
“Otro Trago,” with Sech, Darell, Nicky Jam, & Ozuna, Aug. 31, 2019, one
“China,” with Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna & J Balvin, Sept. 21, 2019, two
“Aventura,” with Lunay & Ozuna, Nov. 9, 2019, one
“Keii,” May 2, 2020, one
“Fútbol & Rumba,” with Enrique Iglesias, Aug. 8, 2020, one
“Location,” with Karol G & J Balvin, April 10, 2021, one
“Ley Seca,” with Jhay Cortez, Feb. 5, 2022, one
“Pórtate Bonito”” with Blessd, Nov. 8, 2025, one
Colombian star Blessd adds his third No. 1 on the overall Latin radio ranking. “Medallo,” with Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavarez, and “Si Sabe Ferxxo,” with Feid, each led for one week in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
Beyond its Latin Airplay coronation, “Pórtate Bonito” ascends 3-1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart. Plus, it gains traction on the Hot Latin Rhythm Songs chart, where it narrowly misses the top 10 with an 18-11 leap.
Entertainment
Flavor Flav Says He Gave Alix Earle a Lower ‘DWTS’ Score on ‘Accident’: ‘That Girl Deserved Perfect 10s’
Alix Earle’s performance on the latest episode of Dancing With the Stars may have been a nine on Flavor Flav‘s scorecard, but in his heart, it was a 10.
In a couple of Wednesday (Nov. 5) posts on X, the Public Enemy rapper — who served as a guest judge on the program’s broadcast the night prior — explained that he had intended to give the influencer and pro dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy a perfect score for their routine set to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Instead, Flav says he plugged in the number nine by mistake.
“As a judge on #DWTS,,, you hit your score on a computer first,,, then hold up the sign,” he wrote. “I accidentally hit 9 for someone and told the crew I meant to hit 10,,, and they said they can’t change it and there’s nothing I can do. That girl deserved perfect 10s.”
In a second post, Flav went on to point out that the snafu was why he’d been captured on camera “looking down at the computer confused” after punching in his score.
“Couldn’t get the words out because I was watching the computer and then couldn’t find the other paddle cuz I was ready to go with my 10,” he added. “I found [Earle] afterwards and apologized and let her know what happen , she was cool.”
If the rapper had given Earle the score he’d intended, she and Chmerkovskiy would have received perfect numbers across the board for the first time this season. They’d also come close to the feat on last week’s episode, earning 39/40 for a performance set to Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend.”
Flav also spoke about the situation while still on the DWTS set, telling People, “I gave them a nine which was an accident. I really wanted to give them a 10, but they wouldn’t let me change it.”
Billboard has reached out to the TV show for comment.
Despite not getting the best possible score, Earle can still celebrate knowing that she’s advancing to the next round. This week’s episode — which had a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame theme — resulted in Danielle Fishel getting sent home, while Jen Affleck and former Taylor Swift backup dancer Jan Ravnik were eliminated the week before that.
Also still in the game are Dylan Efron, Andy Richter, Whitney Leavitt, Elaine Hendrix, Jordan Chiles and Robert Irwin. The next episode will air on Nov. 11 and celebrates the 20th anniversary of DWTS.
Entertainment
Streaming Playlist That Funds Conservation Projects Is Now Accepting Submissions From All Artists
Sounds Right, a charitable cross-DSP playlist featuring music that incorporates the sounds of nature, will now allow any artist to submit their music to the project, it was announced Wednesday (Nov. 5).
Sounds Right initially launched in April 2024 with a playlist featuring new and older tracks with sounds like bird calls, waves, wind and other greatest hits of the mother nature soundscape, woven into music by artists like David Bowie, Brian Eno, Hozier and Ellie Goulding. Royalties generated by this music, which includes 36 original songs that were added this past April, are directed to conservation efforts.
Why Artists Are Flocking to Work With ‘Nature’ & the Organization Aiming to Raise Millions for Conservation
He Spent 50 Years Recording 30,000 Hours of Nature Sounds Around the World. Now, It’s the Basis of a New Album
Now, as scientists and activists from around the world gather in Belem, Brazil for the COP30 UN Climate Conference (Trump administration officials recently announced that no high-level representatives from the U.S. government will attend the event), Sounds Right has announced an update that allows artists to help fund conservation work by officially crediting “Nature” in their music and submitting it for inclusion on the playlist.
Accepted submissions will be incorporated into the Sounds Right playlist, with 50% of royalties raised from any given song going to the artist and the other 50% going to environmental causes. Submissions are open now.
This past Saturday (Nov. 1), Sounds Right announced that the project has so far raised a total of $400,000 for Indigenous and community-led conservation in the Amazon and Congo Basin regions, building on $225,000 it directed to projects in the Tropical Andes in 2024. The funds were announced on stage at Saturday’s Global Citizen Amazonia concert in Belem, which was broadcast throughout Brazil.
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Sounds Right has now added 14 new tracks to the playlist, all of which celebrate the natural world of the Amazon and Africa. The Amazonian contributions come from artists Alexia Evellyn, Pedrina, Antonio Sanchez, Chancha Via Circuito, Systema Solar and Monte (aka Simon Mejia), while the music of artists Juls, Phila Dlozi, Olivetheboy, Bien, Blinky Bill, and Lady Donli showcases the sounds of the Congo Basin region.
“This collection of tracks is a powerful expression of how artists can use their creativity to celebrate and protect the natural world at such a critical moment for our planet,” EarthPercent co-executive director Cathy Runciman tells Billboard. “From Alexia Evellyn recording the rhythms of the Amazon’s rivers and birds to Juls blending Congo Basin forest ambience into Afrobeats, and Antonio Sánchez turning birdsong into percussion, it’s inspiring to see such diverse artists uniting to honor these vital ecosystems and leading a movement to bring nature back into music and culture.”
“It’s an honor and a thrill to be part of Sounds Right,” adds the Grammy-winning Sanchez, whose contribution “Drumming with the Birds” explores the percussive rhythms of Amazonian birdlife. “I believe it’s vital to keep opening new avenues for people to connect with the importance of preserving and protecting Mother Nature. This collaboration, inspired by the Amazon and its remarkable avian life, celebrates that connection. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it.”
Brazilian producer Alok will also soon release a special track for the Sounds Right project, with the artist saying in a statement that “nature has always played an essential role in music, and the time has come for it to be recognized for that.”
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