So sometime in 1971 or 72, I was walking through the Graham Area lobby at the University of Florida and two guys were playing guitars and singing. I sat down and listened and was blown away by the songs. When they finished, I asked if the songs were theirs and they said, no they were covering Batdorf and Rodney. Within a matter of days, you know I was at the local record store looking for their album!! What I found was Off the Shelf and that album has been “off the shelf” and on my record player, in my CD player and now on my mp3 player for the last forty years.
As a duo, they only recorded three albums in the 70s before they parted ways. John went on to become a member of the group Silver, who recorded one album and had one hit “Wham Bam” that climbed as high as # 16 on the Billboard Charts.
Since then John Batdorf has recorded albums with James Staley and Michael McClean. In 2006, he produced his first solo album Home Again and since then has produced two more albums Old Man Dreamin’ and One Last Wish. All three are fine albums. In 2008 Batdorf and Rodney reunited for a special on XM Radio that resulted in them recording again, and the result was Still Burnin’ and they still are!!
All of this leads me to today’s lunchtime music, “One Day” from the album Off the Shelf and don’t we all wish that the sentiments expressed in the song, would come true!!
