From idea to icon
After the war, Rhodes tried to make the piano electric and full-sized, but he needed a strong partner. Enter Leo Fender – the man behind Fender guitars. Fender loved the idea and bought Rhodes’s company in 1959, which is why the famous instrument is called the Fender Rhodes.
At first, it was mostly jazz musicians experimenting with the sound. But in 1969, something big happened: Miles Davis put a Rhodes piano in front of his pianist Chick Corea and said, “Try this.” The result was the album In a Silent Way – a milestone in jazz history. From there, popularity exploded. The Doors used it on “Riders on the Storm.” Stevie Wonder made it his signature sound on “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”
Elton John, Billy Joel, Herbie Hancock – everyone wanted that warm, bell-like tone.
The golden era
In the 1970s, Rhodes were everywhere. At one point, you could hear the Rhodes sound on up to 80% of radio hits. Models like Mark I and Mark II became standard, and production reached 500 units per day. Quincy Jones called Rhodes “the sound of love.”
Fun facts:
- A Rhodes weighs up to 100 kg – roadies hated it!
- The keys feel like a piano, but the sound is electric and soft – perfect for soul and funk.
From stardom to the shadows
But in the 1980s came the synthesizer – especially the Yamaha DX7 – and changed the game. The DX7 had a digital “Rhodes” sound as a preset, making it easy to imitate the tone without hauling a heavy mechanical piano. The original Rhodes was gradually pushed aside, and production stopped in 1984.
Harold Rhodes died in 2000 at the age of 89, while working on the ultimate Rhodes piano. It was introduced in 2007 as the Rhodes Mark 7, and today the legacy lives on in the MK8 model, which combines the classic sound with modern technology.
Famous albums and songs featuring Rhodes
The Rhodes sound has left its mark on some of music history’s greatest moments. Here’s a selection:
- Miles Davis – In a Silent Way (1969)
The album that introduced Rhodes to the jazz world.
- Herbie Hancock – Chameleon (1973)
A funk masterpiece with Rhodes as the rhythmic engine.
- Stevie Wonder – You Are the Sunshine of My Life (1972)
The soft, warm tone gives the song its distinctive glow.
- The Doors – Riders on the Storm (1971)
Ray Manzarek’s hypnotic Rhodes chords are unforgettable.
- Donald Fagen – Aja (Steely Dan, 1977)
Rhodes is a central part of the sophisticated sound.
- Michael Jackson – Off the Wall (1979)
Quincy Jones used Rhodes to create the elegant groove.
Plenty of competitors
Rhodes had several major competitors:
- Wurlitzer Electric Piano: More aggressive and “gritty” sound. Famous from Supertramp’s “The Logical Song.”
- Yamaha CP-70/CP-80: An acoustic piano with an electric edge.
- Hohner Clavinet & Pianet: The Clavinet sounds like an electric guitar – listen to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”
- Yamaha DX7: The digital death of mechanical Rhodes in the ’80s.
In 1983 came the biggest competitor of all: the Yamaha DX7 digital synthesizer. Its piano sound became so popular in ’80s pop ballads that it nearly wiped the heavy, mechanical Fender Rhodes pianos off the charts.
Today, they’re no longer seen as rivals but as different “colors” in a musician’s palette, and modern keyboards (like the Nord Stage) include emulations of all of them.
Listen to my playlist on Spotify or Tidal and rediscover the amazing sound of the Fender Rhodes.
Spotify playlist
Tidal playlist
