John Batdorf

In the late 1960’s at the age of 15, John’s group, the Luv'd Ones, opened for the Young Rascals in Los Angeles. In 1970, he met eventual music partner Mark Rodney while performing at a coffee house, and soon after, the duo Batdorf & Rodney were signed to Atlantic Records by the legendary Ahmet Ertegun. There was never a tape demo for Atlantic; the duo performed for Ahmet and were signed the following day based on the strength of that live performance and their songwriting ability. Their hit “Home Again” became a staple on progressive FM and college radio.

After three albums with Atlantic, Batdorf & Rodney went on to sign with Asylum, then Arista. But John, known for his stunning vocals and guitar work, was also recording solo with Dave Mason, Eric Andersen, Rod Stewart, Donna Summer, and others. John went on to become a staff songwriter in the '80s composing tunes for Kim Carnes, America, England Dan and others, as well as being a studio singer on countless jingles, movies and TV shows.

In 2003 John teamed with James Lee Stanley to celebrate The Rolling Stones in a unique acoustic approach - "All Wood and Stones." They released two CDs to glowing reviews.

After thirty years, John went back into the studio and re-recorded new arrangements of the old Batdorf & Rodney hits. He is currently touring with these old favorites as well as newer material from various projects including Soundtrax to Recovery, and his very newly released Beep Beep.

John's vocals and guitar work are still as brilliant as ever, and his cult following is still thrilled to see him play.

“...Batdorf is running with the heart of a kid and adds wisdom to the old songs while adding wonder to the new....Whether an old or new fan... well worth checking out.”
- Chris Spector, Midwest Record Recap