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<\/p>\nThough he was named after the King of the Cowboys, guitarist Roy Rogers isn\u2019t a country and western yodeler. The Bay Area resident and Redding, California native is an acclaimed Delta blues musician and producer. His extensive credits include work with a diverse array of celebrated figures including John Lee Hooker, Norton Buffalo, Ramblin\u2019 Jack Elliott and Ray Manzarek. But Rogers\u2019 body of work under his own name \u2013 showcased on dozens of albums \u2013 has earned him fame in and beyond the world of blues.<\/p>\n
Rogers\u2019 musical journey has taken him far and wide. In the early, pre-Beatles 1960s, he was already playing in a band. The group’s repertoire included \u201cLittle Richard, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, standard fare of the time,\u201d Rogers recalls. But when his older brother brought home a vinyl copy of Robert Johnson’s King of the Delta Blues Singers<\/i>, his life changed. \u201cTut that record blew my mind,\u201d he says. \u201c\u2018What is this<\/i>? How does he do that<\/i>?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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Hearing Johnson\u2019s powerful voice and unusual guitar tunings struck a chord with the then-teenage musician. \u201cNobody could approach him rhythmically,\u201d Rogers marvels. \u201cHe borrowed from other guys \u2013 like Son House \u2013 but Robert put it all together in a way that was just stunning. Still is; always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thus inspired, Rogers dove deeper into the word of blues. Reading the credits on the back of early releases from British groups like The Animals and the Rolling Stones, he was fascinated by their blues-oriented songs. He recalls wondering, \u2018Who\u2019s McKinley Morganfield? Who\u2019s Chester Burnett?\u2019 I was a kid, so I didn\u2019t know who those guys were!\u201d<\/p>\n
But he\u2019d make a point of finding out. The 1960s brought the peak of the Fillmore West and Avalon Ballroom, so he got to see legendary bluesmen like Jimmy Reed and John Lee Hooker live onstage. Rogers was especially moved by the blues\u2019 Delta variant. \u201cThe passion and delivery of that type of blues\u2026 it all emanates from there for me,\u201d he says. By the time British blues boom artists like John Mayall\u2019s Blues Breakers and Peter Green\u2019s Fleetwood Mac came to the attention of American ears, Roy Rogers was already a seasoned blues guitarist.<\/p>\n
Rogers worked regularly, teaming up with fellow Bay Area musician David Burgin. \u201cIt was a harmonica and slide guitar duet in the Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee mold,\u201d he says. The pair gigged extensively, releasing A Foot in the Door<\/i> in 1978. By 1980, Rogers had earned a spot in John Lee Hooker\u2019s band. He\u2019d go on to play on and produce four of Hooker\u2019s albums, including the 1989 Grammy-winning release The Healer<\/i>. He learned a lot working with the legendary figure. \u201cYou\u2019re not trying to reach everybody\u201d with your music, Hooker told him. \u201cYou\u2019re trying to make a statement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many guitarists, Rogers plays a variety of models, but an instrument closely associated with him is a double-neck model based on a Gibson 125. For his playing, one neck might be tuned in standard fashion, with the other set to an open tuning, best for the distinctive slide playing that characterizes much of Rogers\u2019 work. \u201cThe whole Delta blues [style] is based on being able to approach the music as a soloist,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
While Roy Rogers is steeped in the blues, he uses the form as a foundation, not the be-all and end-all. \u201cI don\u2019t consider myself a straight-ahead blues guy,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause I like to stretch the envelope.\u201d That musical open-mindedness and versatility has led to work \u2013 live dates, studio sessions, production \u2013 with an extensive assortment of musicians outside the blues idiom.<\/p>\n
Rogers\u2019 credits in the 1990s and beyond include work with Miles Davis, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, fellow Bay Area musical heroes Steve Miller and Carlos Santana and many more. He also recorded and released a trio of albums with former Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek.<\/p>\n
Even amid his numerous collaborative projects in various genres, the giants of blues will remain closest to Roy Rogers\u2019 heart. \u201cIt all goes back to the Delta blues,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd if I can come within even a minuscule approach of what they achieved, I\u2019m a happy guy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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