He hung around LA for a few more years, listening to Buffalo Springfield and the rest of the California scene, playing country and folk rock. He met Mark Rodney in 1970, and they formed the folk rock duo Batdorf & Rodney, which charted with “Somewhere in the Night” in 1975.
Not coming back worked out all right.
But over the years, Batdorf has continually come back to his first home, the place where he started playing music.
Yellow Springs native John Batdorf is returning for an intimate show May 17 at SRS Rehearsal Stage, 70 High St., Dayton. A solo set from Pete Price, of Dayton’s the Fries Band, will open the show. A $20 cash donation is suggested at the door.
When he came through town to SRS last year, Batdorf was fresh off the release of his 2024 album, “60 Year Old Groove.” Keeping up with his steady stream of releases, this upcoming performance is on the coattails of his latest LP, “Anthem for the Damned.”
“I’m just addicted to writing. I just can’t stop, and don’t want to stop,” Batdorf said. “Music is so powerful. If you’re a writer, you might as well write as many songs as you can while you’re here, because you obviously can’t come back. It’s such a joy for me.”
The 11-track “Anthem for the Damned” was originally planned to be an EP, but the songs kept coming.
After a tour, he returned to his current home in Bend, Oregon, with a spark of an idea that turned into a brawny flame. The next thing he knew, he had a flow of creativity that he couldn’t turn off. With 12 solo albums and counting, this creative flow is a constant in Batdorf’s life.
Seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964 changed everything for him. He was playing Wurlitzer piano at the time, but switched to guitar after the breakup of the Loved Ones, after hearing Stephen Stills’ solo on Buffalo Springfield’s “Bluebird.” He traded in the Wurlitzer for a Yamaha acoustic guitar. A year and a half later, Batdorf & Rodney got a record deal with Atlantic.
Batdorf still has a lot of family back here. When his mother was still alive, she had the opportunity to see her son perform at some formidable shows, opening for America and alongside Pure Prairie League and Harry Chapin — all because she took a risk by letting him stay out on his own in LA.
“It’s really cool to go back and see some of my old bandmates from when I was a kid. I started right here and here I am, playing here again,” Batdorf said. “I’ve been blessed to have been able to live my life doing this since that kid saw the Beatles. I didn’t get as big as the Beatles, but I did OK.”
Brandon Berry writes about the Dayton and Southwest Ohio music and art scene. Have a story idea for him? Email branberry100@gmail.com.
How to go
What: John Batdorf, with Pete Price
When: 8 p.m., May 17
Where: SRS Rehearsal Stage, 70 High St., Dayton
Cost: $20 cash donation
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