Batdorf & Rodney were an early-1970s folk rock duo consisting of John Batdorf and Mark Rodney.[1][2]
Batdorf & Rodney | |
|---|---|
 John Batdorf (left) and Mark Rodney in 1971 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1970–1975, 2007–2008 |
| Labels | |
| Past members |
|
Career
editThe two began performing in the summer of 1970 in Las Vegas. They toured extensively with many of the most famous acts of the 1970s. Their tours included playing at Carnegie Hall. They issued three albums on three different labels between 1971 and 1975, logging two chart hits during their final year after signing with Arista Records. Their self-titled second album featured the track "Home Again," an FM radio staple that at 6:30 was perhaps too long to be a hit single. A track from their third album, "You Are a Song," written by Jim Weatherly, was released as a single and reached number 87 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of 1975. It also reached #19 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.[3]
Their other hit, a non-album single, was an early version of "Somewhere in the Night," which reached number 69 in December of that year.[4] Issued concurrently with Helen Reddy's version, the song became a Top 40 hit for her in 1976 and a Top 10 hit for Barry Manilow in 1979. Another song, "All I Need," reached the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart in 1973, peaking at #79.[5]
Dissolution
editTheir third album, recorded under Arista Records with Clive Davis, faced creative differences. While Davis pushed for more commercially viable songs, Batdorf & Rodney were reluctant, feeling it compromised their artistic integrity. Internal strains and management changes eventually led to the duo’s breakup in 1975.
After the break-up and reunion
editRemaining with Arista, Batdorf soon formed the group Silver then released "Wham Bam" in 1976, the most successful single of his career, which reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] In 2007, the duo reunited to record an album titled Still Burnin'.
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US[7] | ||||||
| Off The Shelf |
|
— | ||||
| Batdorf & Rodney |
|
185 | ||||
| Life Is You |
|
140 | ||||
| Still Burnin' |
|
— | ||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CA AC | |||||
| 1971 | "Oh My Suprise" | — | — | Off The Shelf | ||
| 1972 | "Simone" | — | — | Non-album Single | ||
| "All I Need" | — | 79 | Batdorf & Rodney | |||
| "Home Again" | — | — | ||||
| 1975 | "You Are A Song" | 87 | 19 | Life Is You | ||
| "Life Is You" | — | — | ||||
| "Somewhere in the Night" | 69 | — | Non-album Single | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
References
edit- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 4 November 1972. pp. 77–. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Rumsey, Spencer (10 April 2014). "Classic Radio Plays "The Thin Man" and "Casablanca" for LIU Post FM Station Benefit". longislandpress.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ "Music: Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. 1975-10-18. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ "Music: Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". billboard.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1973-03-10. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
- ^ "Music: Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2018). Top Pop Albums 1955-2016. Prometheus Global Media. ISBN 978-0-89820-226-7.
External links
edit- Batdorf & Rodney at John Batdorf's official website
- Batdorf & Rodney discography at Discogs