The Moody Blues - Norda Mullen interview

[ceecoursian]

She is great and I hope they keep her around with them for a long time

[HuskyMaxx]

Norda is great ... and is very sexy when she's dressed up with her hair up,

She's 'great on the old flute'....

[ColtraneTaylor]

I just saw a comment saying Norda should be a full time member... Looks like Moodies aged fanbase still have lust in their hearts. Keep it in your pants grandpa!

[ColtraneTaylor]

The audio's too low especially for my computer, but what the hell is going on at 4:42? Moody Blues American Idol? If I were Mike Pinder and still a member that would be enough for me to quit. Or to throw her down stage yelling, 'you slag!'

Norda had really cold hard eyes when I saw her, I had to look away.

[feelytouchy67]

Although after their 1st 7 albums (Days of Furture Passed to 7th Sojourn), I lost interest (and it has never been quite rekindled), I still love them and take a great interest in "how they're doing" now and again. I think it fitting, really, that the new flutest is a classically trained female (love that accent too! She sounds a lot like Holly Hunter to me - though Hunter is probably midwestern!). & seeing Ian Anderson(!!) - & hearing him praise the MBs! What a joy! I loved Jethro Tull! Yeah!

[LoveLondon2]

Although I have been a huge fan since the 70's, I never got the chance to see the MB's live until a couple of years ago. By far, one of the most overwhelming images I have of the concert is of Norda playing the flute, guitar, tambouring, etc. I was jealous, as I had never seen ANYONE who appeared to LOVE their job as much as she does!! Her joy in her craft is infectious, and it was icing on the cake for me.

[jabrown45100]

I miss Ray, and love his replacement just as equally as long as the quality and heart is there is sufficient. Observation on the flute in Nights and White Satin in general--It is one thing to learn the flute like any instrument takes to master, but to perform the part that kicks in and esquisite melody and careful one must be when played in the part of Nights and White Satin is not easy-even for a veteran flute player. 2 giant challenges because its one of a kind

[nurktwin1960]

Norda plays flute, rhythm guitar, sings back-up vocals, shakes a mean tambourine, has great stage presence, along with a black belt in karate. A true artist.

Even though she is not yet an "official" member of the MBs band, Norda has been with the group long enough that I've come to think of her now as one of the lads.

[Devoraak]

Only in America

[SirMichaelTheWarrior]

I love the Moody Blues PERIOD! Remember Justin and John were not a part of the original group and look what their marvelous addition did.  If not for them the Moody Blues wouldn't have been remembered for anything! Justin, John, and Graeme are the heart and soul of this ageless band and always will be. Ray chose to retire and the past several years had not been in the best of health, so who can argue with his choice to spend the rest of his life enjoying the fruits of his labors?

[rahooligan]

Obviously Ray is sorely missed.. but I'd rather have the Moody Blues with Norda than not have them at all. I saw her play with the Moody Blues.. she is extremely talented, drop-dead gorgeous and has good stage presence as well.

[TheShirlSquirrel]

Saw them last night & was very impressed with Norda's flute playing...the girl can rock that stage too!

Kudos Norda...thanks for a GR8 show The Moody Blues!

[MissyD97]

I was sad to hear that Ray left. I first saw them when I was 12yrs old in the earlie '90s. There music is one of a kind in my opinon. I haven't seen them since ray left the band but I would love to to hear how she plays.

[driftwoodms14]

Thanks RedBaron!!!

[driftwoodms14]

Thanks RedBaron!!!

[moodyblue39]

Norda is a Moody. A great flutist and although Ray is missed she has more than filled his shoes.

[michaelangels11]

This is not exactly what Mike Pinder had in mind when he and Ray conceived of this group. This os no longer the Moody Blues in many ways it has been bastardized into your band with original backups. Ray had ther heart but maybe he could not longer take the direction of the group.

[salwc2k]

@michaelangels11 ...I agree wholeheartedly with you....but I am still grateful that they lasted this long and I could still see them perform although not like in 1970+72 ...oh how I miss those days......Justin, John and Graham still do a good job even with the bastardized portion of the the current band...Norda is still a very good flautist......just not Ray Thomas.

[julesmoody]

@salwc2k Yes she fills spot for flute,but people seem to forget lovely rich voice of Ray

[salwc2k]

@julesmoody I totally agree that the MB's lost something special when Ray left, there is no doubt about that at all....but I would rather have the MB's with Norda than no MB's at all...I have seen them 5 times since Ray's departure and have enjoyed every single one of those shows.

[michaelangels11]

Justin: you are an idiot and fame as gone to y our head.

[alienhuman]

Saw her tonight. She is a great addition.

[limabeat]

She is no Ray Thomas... but she is awesome and is worthy to play with the Moody Blues. Seen them in concert last summer and she ROCKS!

[DBKTube]

I have been into the Moodies since the late 60s and seen them in concert through every change. The last one I saw with the lovely lady playing the flute so beautifully brought tears to my eyes. The music is what matters, and keeping it alive is what is most important.

[dasster]

Wish they'd gotten a Brit to play flute. Americans, they're too arrogant to play flute.

[dankmon1992]

did pink floyd or the moodies come first? cus gilmour's voice, lodge's voice, and hayward's voice all sound alike to me.

[2azulmcqueen]

Nice question... AFAIK, Floyd became singing with Gilmour some years after they were formed. So, think about this: it was near 63, days when Beatles became, and the Moodies started in 65 as a band.... difficult to know, but their influences are kind of meny, many... but really common. We´ll research!

[emadmadi]

great

[dogiehogan]

Viva Norda Mullen!!

By-the-way:

'The Moody Blues - Lovely To See You' is available on Blu-ray now!

[salwc2k]

I saw the MB's in 70+72 with all the original band members and I have seen them every year since Norda has been with them and although I am partial to Ray I think Norda is just a wonderful addition for them. If they have to be without Ray then Norda fills the bill quite nicely...a great flautist and she can sing, play guitar ...etc. Nice find for MB's. 40 years and still going strong ...can't say that about many bands now, can we? #1.

[michaelangels11]

@salwc2k sd

[rcf4438]

Saw the Band 8/20/09 Radio City Music Hall-what a great show .Norda Mullen on flute-singing and stage performance was excellent.What a great addition to the Moodies. Sorry Ray is gone-but we all have to retire and enjoy life.

[sure628]

I was at one of the shows in CT this past weekend also. I've seen alot of concerts from older bands in the past, but this one was by far the best.

[EricBss7]

Was at one of the CT concerts this past weekend-Norda was incredible. I was still glad that Ray was incorporated into the show. I thought the show was awesome and Justin's voice is better than ever.

[Drummaster1955]

Just saw the Moodies twice this weekend in CT. A fan since 1969-truth be told-I like Norda better than Ray Thomas.He was great,but this woman can do it all-play flute, guitar,harmonica and sing. She is absolutely great!Hope they record an album soon!

[Cassandra2946]

I do not think Norda or any of the others should be added to the band...THEY did NOT write any of the music. They play the Moody Blues music...it isn't THEIR music...they are NOT members of the Moody Blues

[TheLastNail]

I saw them with her in Clearwater, Fl in 2006 and loved her from the first note. She palys perfectly with their sound, that hsa not diminished one bit in all these years. It was all good.

[LOVEFOREVERBLUE]

Ive been looking at these comments about Norda, and to be honest, when I first saw her with the band, my 1st thought was Oh no, not a girl! and Why is she out front with the guys instead in the back with Julie? But, thats what the guys want, so be it. Love them all.

[cliverturner]

Having been a Moodies fan since the 60s I remember when Justin and John were replacements and not 'proper moodies'. We have to accept that time is passing and much as I love thommo he was looking really old and uninterested at the last couple of gigs I saw him at. Norda seems like a good replacement and what's wrong with having fun on stage. Have to disagree with Graeme though - there are other classically trained flautists with a heart for rock out there. Try search for 'kindred spirit bouree'

[nathanstan]

I saw the Moody Blues in Los Angeles at the Nokia Theatre in March 2008. They were fantastic!!!

[newrulz2005]

What is the song that Lodge is singing at the very end of this clip??

[plswaitforme]

Hi rulz, the song is "Lean On Me (Tonight) from the 1991 album, Keys of the Kingdom. One of my faves....it's really nice, isn't it?

[newrulz2005]

Thanks! Yes, like so many of their songs, it is GREAT. I have been hooked on music since 1960 when I heard my first Bobby Rydell song, but for the last year and a half, I just can't get enough of the Moodies

[alwaysBnatural]

It sounds like the MBs have a good match for touring with Norda. Maybe she moves around a lot, but it would look pretty dorky to stand or sit on a stool the whole time. I've only seen the MBs in concert once, and Ray Thomas rarely soloed, and looked his age: gray to white haired, portly and moving like an old man. He often sat on a high stool and occasionally played tambourine.

My wife and I both enjoyed the show, which was outdoors on a warm spring evening. We went to hear the music.

[18ctdiamond]

Norda has fitted in brilliantly. And as far as her coming on to Justin--please do us a favour, Sounds like the green-eyed monster to me.

[tleok2003]

I saw The Moody Blues last night in Tulsa and I thought it was a GREAT concert. Her flute playing is unreal and when she added vocals, even better. She's beautiful on stage. I wasn't really that excited to see the MB's but now that I went... WOW! It's now one of my favorite concerts ever!

[Shannon6997]

Norda is a wonderful addition. It sounds like you people don't like change. If they can handle Ray leaving, so should you. They also play the music their fans want to hear. They are truly a fabulous band.

[moodybluesband1967]

I feel they should have replaced Ray with another man instead of Norda. She was a bitch to me in Interlochen. The moody Blues should dump her ugly skinney ass. She is very rude she told me I would never meet Justin. It's sickening how she shakes her ass all over the place. They should have trusted in their music and replaced Ray with a man. She is anorexic. They put too much stock in her. She isn't that gtreat a player or singer. She looks like a man.........

[Truebadour]

A very nice interview with a very, VERY nice human being. Norda Mullen is a class act.

[thebirdman47]

Ray Thomas will be missed! NO ONE can do "For My Lady" like Ray.

[salwc2k]

No doubt about that birdman47....There were many things Ray did well that no one else can do. The same could be said for Mike as well...but all in all they still sound pretty good...just not as great as the original Moodies that we love and miss.

[frizzlefrap]

@thebirdman47 .......... i should hope not, since that's HIS SONG

[thebirdman47]

Norda Mullen is a very lucky young lady, indeed! Good luck to you and one of my all time favorite groups!

[poochpup]

my first comment didn't take so here's a short version. Norda wasn't taken on to BE Ray Thomas, she plays flute and bloody good she is too! A great addition to the band.

As for the Justin/dark haired woman, either name a name or keep quiet.

The band, and their wives read this site avidly, have some compassion for Mrs. Hayward who is as we write on tour with her husband, not wearing a wig.

[a1m1s1]

Why is she on this DVD? She is not a member of the band and God forbid she should ever be made one. Hideous performer and average musician.

[phoebsab]

Norda has such a hard face.

[natemoore]

Norda, you had me at "I". Love ya!

[SamBurdette]

She was an excellent choice. So when are they going to make her a Moody? Ron Wood is a Rolling Stone. He joined late, but he joined as a full member. They should include her face with the rest of them on posters and such, and treat her like a full member of the band.

[a1m1s1]

Patrick Moraz joined as a full member which I was pleased about but I wouldn't want Norda as part of the band. Paul (excellent keyboard player) and Gordon (outstanding percussionist who now carries Graeme) have been with the guys longer.  Why is there no call for them to be made members of the band and yet there is for this very ordinary flutist with the performance skills of a grasshopper?

[RS1963]

I saw the Moodies and Norda in March in vegas and she is just as good as when I had seen her the first time she was in Vegas In 2004 I belive it was. Great group and a very good choice to fill Rays position.

[lkl8]

Well, balogna! I saw Norda in concert with the Moody Blues on June 4 and she was beautiful, good weight, talented, fabulous!

[bkev93]

I remember when I saw Norda back in ´05 at the Orange County Fair. She was lookin´ good, and playing perfect. Now? She´s not looking quite as good, but she´s playin even better I think.

I wish I´d gotten autographs...

[kmoorebaltimore]

I miss Ray terribly. Been a fan of Moodies for years. I was thrilled when Norda came on the scene. Sadly, it seems as though she has sucumbed to "stardom". She used to be demure, now she's the "Norda Show". I just saw them in Baltimore and she looks like a drug addict. What has happened to her? Thin, her eyes were glazed, and she kept losing her balance. What a shame! I'm also curious about her relationship with Justin!

[a1m1s1]

There is no relationship with Justin. She isn't the small, dark-haired he used to be seen with. Apparently she's still seen at some shows (but she's blonde now, probably thinks people won't recognise her).

I have to agree though about how she has gone from being a backing musician to trying to take over the stage. Very annoying.

[phoebsab]

That's exactly what I think. I go to watch and listen to the music of the Moody Blues, not the Norda Mullen Show. I wish she had continued to know her place as she did on the first tour she was in and why she was interviewed for and included on this DVD is beyond me. She is a backing musician, that's all. She's not even to Paul and Gordon's standard.

[HTP938]

It's too bad people make stupid, unsubstantiated statements on the internet like this about Justin for all to read.  Gossip and rumors spread like a disease and can be hurtful to people. I would suggest that some fans need to get a life and quit wagging their tongues when they've got nothing intelligent to say.

[phoebsab]

What relationship? Norda was the flutist on his solo tour.  That is why she was asked to play with the band when Ray left.

[shamann9]

Saw them in March 08 in Temecula, CA. Norda is terrific. Great musician, and she really rocks!! But most of all she's a dazzling beauty.

[Mapmstr]

Just saw the Moody Blues perform at last night's concert (like.. 3 hours ago) in Sarasota, Florida.

The concert was wonderful.

Justin seemed to be a little under the weather, but he pulled through well.

Norda did great.

I got Norda's autograph, as well as John Lodge's, and Graeme Edge's. Justin left in quite a haste in a police car. I'm sure it was just a shuttle to his limo though.

Anyway, to sum it all up, it was a great night, and I surely agree that Norda was the right choice.

[lkl8]

You know, I love the Moodies, but why do those guys always look so bored? I know it must get tedious playing the same over and over, but no one is forcing them to do it. Any ideas?

[a1m1s1]

Bored? When do they ever look bored?

[sedonasong]

We saw the Moody Blues in Tucson, AZ 2 weeks ago..they were FANTASTIC..Norda Mullen is TOTALLY AWESOME!!Justin made the right choice when he chose her.

[inwoodliver]

Bernie left to have a baby a more than a year ago and Julie Ragins has been with them this last tour. Norda is slim but dances and has loads of fun on stage when not Playing flute or harmonica or guitar! both ladies are great!

[VABkWrm]

Gosh Norda,Moody Fans are ususally a more open minded lot than to hate a new member of the "family". I've seen her a few times and I think she's wonderful!

[moodymuts]

VABkWrm, i don't think the Moodies fans hate anybody! we want Ray to be happy and we are glad that a fantastic flute player has taken his place. but still: Ray is in our hearts:-), one day the new members will be too!

[Reveriii]

I saw them last night in Vienna, Virginia. There were fantastic! Norda is gorgeous! Fred Astaire in a woman's body. Grace, and beauty! Excellent addition!

[DubbyLee53]

Saw The Moody Blues on Thursday in Hyannis. Norda looked extremely thin. Talented woman for sure but I was afraid for her health.

[kmoorebaltimore]

I saw them in baltimore last week. Norda not only seemed extremely thin, she looked totally out of it. Beyond gaunt. Her eyes were like slits, she could barely keep them open. She was losing her balance. Then kicking her legs up as though she was doing an aerobic routine. Something just isn't right there. In no way does she resemble the Norda Mullen in this video. I guess "stardom" can take control of some like a phantom. Very talented. Just completely wigged out by how she looked.

[moodybluesband1967]

Yes she was the same way in Michigan. She looked like a rail. She is giving the Moody Blues bad name. She can't hod a candle to Ray Thomas. she just looks silly up there. She comes on to Justin too. I wonder if his wife would like the way she shakes her ass in front of Justin every song she can. they will never be thre real Moody Blues until they replace her with another man.

[kmoorebaltimore]

I'm a devoted fan but I must tell you that it's getting more than tiresome to hear the same playlist show after show after show. And Norda bumping and grinding really changes the scene to almost "pop" music.

[fluffythecat2]

Ray retired. He earned it. She does a great job and Justin and John and all have chosen her and accepted her.

So who are any of us to criticize them or her?

After all they have given to us how can you possibly have the bad grace and lack of consideration to criticize her or them for adding her to the Moody Blues?

They could have retired DECADES ago and that would have been the end. Be grateful for what they still give us and shut up---you ungrateful twits.

I appreciate them.

[irishbike]

Norda is very talented and very hot!

[qa1952]

We just saw the Moodies on July 18 in Chicago - Norda was great! Does anyone know who the blond girl on keyboard was? The boys, girls and music were all too beautiful!!

[cyberexposure]

The blond babe is Bernie Barlow.

[cyberexposure]

Correction I believe the blond is Julie Ragins

[kjake38]

I can't wait to see the Moody Blues. I knew Norda growing up and was always amazed at her talent and am so happy for her success. We graduated the same year in Starkville, MS. I'm going to the concert in Cleveland on Sunday. I haven't seen her in almost 30 years. I hope I can see her on Sunday. GO NORDA!!!!

[eener66]

I agree she is awesome!! She strums a mean guitar, too. She brings life to their shows. I was lucky enough to see them July 14th 2007 in Walker MN. I think they should add her as a full member.

[moodyglow]

Norda, you are awesome! Of course I miss Ray and his beautiful voice and songs but I have to tell you I saw the moody blues july 8 2007 and they have never sounded better! Norda has added a magic! Welcome Norda! We hope you felt the love!

[terrijane61]

Agreed!! And ya know, being in the Health Care profession, (Pharmacy Technician/Assisted Living Aide) I have seen what Gout does to people. Sometimes their toes (especially the big one) hurts SO BAD, they cant even stand to have a blanket over their feet in bed. Of course it affects other joints too, but the thought of this happening to Ray makes me cry. Poor fellow.

:(

[terrijane61]

Berry,

Does this make you feel sick? It does me. This chic is very talented, no disputing that. But you and I and many others know that RAY THOMAS can NOT be replaced. You can replace the flute, but not the man, and not the voice that many of us ladies drift off to sleep listening to, the one who sent chills up our spines, the one we dreamed about, the one who you could pick the voice out over all the rest. There's only one Ray. If you are reading this, I LOVE YOU RAY THOMAS!!! FOREVER!!!

[piratepete61]

Now, now...no need for sarcasm

I loved Ray's stuff! Wished he had more songs in the live sets too. I agree they miss him vocally, but can you really say he was a better flautist?

[piratepete61]

Honestly, I'm a HUGE fan of Ray's, but Norda's tone and technique are light-years beyond Ray's...listen to the most recent live disc, Are You Sitting Comfortably?, Isn't Life Strange? and yes, even Nights and her superior musicianship is simply undeniable.

[reneecalling]

I saw Norda last February w/the Moodies. She was terrific. She really brought something to the performance. So it goes to say that regimented training as she mentioned paid off beautifully.

[lookitsagrape1]

she fills ray's shoes and then some. i bet the moodies invite her as a permanent member of the group.

[worldoffreeaccess]

The moody blues,the ultimate cosmic philosophers.Workers of all lands unite.

[jdwilkins2000]

What a neat interview and video, thanks so very much for sharing it with us.

Peace,

Jim

[MichiBlue42]

WE love you Ray. We love you Norda. How could you forget ANYTHING Justin says to you!!

[MoodiesFan]

Thanks redbaron. :-)

[inwoodliver]

norda is great thanks

[fundyrider]

thanks for posting, great interview, norda is awesome