Bobby Lee Rogers

http://www.bobbyleerodgers.com

Born to play…

Rock & roll needs fresh blood to thrive, and it’s rarely had a more exuberant, beautifully crafted infusion than Bobby Lee Rodgers, a fiery trio that taps into the primal mojo of ’50s pioneers embellished with the captivating twists & turns of post-bop jazz, Muscle Shoals soul, fleet fingered acoustic picking, and huge scale epic rock.

Bobby Lee Rodgers’ music exhibits a passionate commitment to fundamentals that makes every note solid & sweet, constantly reminding the listener of rock’s bedrock pleasures. “You have to know what’s been done before you. Why not start with the wheel and build from that,” says bandleader Bobby Lee Rodgers. The stellar songwriter, vocalist and guitarist possesses the kind of individuality that pop artists had between 1965-1975: a golden decade where musicians played with classic forms and made them sound brand new. .

Bobby Lee Rodgers’ level of playing has attracted luminaries like guitarist Jimmy Herring (Widespread Panic) and Hubert Sumlin (Howlin’ Wolf), who both have toured with them. Jazz pianist Art Lande, Joe Craven (Psychograss/David Grisman Quintet) and violin giant Vassar Clements, who played one of his last shows with Bobby Lee Rodgers backing him.

Frontman Bobby Lee moved from Boston to Atlanta in 1999 to follow the music in his head after five years as an instructor at Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music. From the time he was only 7 years old, he learned as much as he could from the bluegrass (think Bill Monroe) and rock worlds (think James Brown and AC/DC). He eventually focused on playing jazz, learning standards and listening to Jimmy Smith-Wes Montgomery records. His potent, instantly recognizable guitar style grew out of these Hammond organ & the electric guitar colors to create a new hue that pulls in the best of both instruments.

For all the chops on display – including their habit of warming up with John Coltrane tunes at sound checks – the group is careful to keep things from ever being a technical exercise that talks over an audience.

The trio has been taking time for headlining gigs from coast to coast,. Their mountain of positive press includes a recent interview with Rodgers on NPR’s “Morning Edition”.