News
ENLARGE
Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings will perform Saturday at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley as part of the monthly blues dance series produced by Paul Emery. Coming Saturday, Dec. 5 will be Charlie Musselwhite, Saturday, Jan. 9 Joe Louis Walker and Thursday, March 4 James Cotton. “These are some of the best blues artists touring today and to enjoy the music in a venue that has dancing makes these events even more exciting,” Emery says.
Roy Rogers is one of the premier slide guitarists performing today. With eight solo recordings, he has also been nominated for two Grammy Awards and six Grammy credits as the producer of John Lee Hooker and Ramblin' Jack Elliott releases. He is well known for his exciting live performances, having toured in the 1980s with John Lee Hooker's Coast to Coast Blues Band and then with his own group The Delta Rhythm Kings since 1986.
Rogers' ability to electrify and move audiences to their feet is well known. He loves to perform and it shows. Nominated for Best Blues Guitarist by the W.C. Handy's in 2003, his virtuosity and style of slide guitar has been recognized worldwide and acknowledged in such publications as Rolling Stone, USA Today, Billboard, Guitar Player, Acoustic Guitar and Guitar & Bass magazine. His musical talents have been featured on numerous film and TV soundtracks, most notably ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' and also ‘The Hot Spot' which he recorded with Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker and Taj Mahal and garnered a Grammy nomination.
A native Californian, he was born in 1950 and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He started playing guitar at age 12 and was exposed to a wealth of music styles, most notably the blues, which became his passion – especially the Delta Blues (Robert Johnson) and slide guitar. Since his first recording in 1976, he has become one of the finest practitioners and innovators of modern slide guitar.
Rogers has appeared at numerous festivals and special events throughout the world, including Montreux Jazz (Switzerland), North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), Notodden (Norway), Byron Bay (Australia), New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (USA) and Montreal Jazz (Canada) in addition to touring Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada.
A recording artist, producer and composer – he continues to combine diverse music influences to achieve his musical vision. Always eclectic in approach, he is constantly stretching the boundaries of slide guitar.
The Delta Rhythm Kings are:
• Steve Ehrmann – Bass Guitar. A longtime friend and band member, Ehrmann played bass with the original Delta Rhythm Kings in 1980. He introduced Roy to John Lee Hooker and they performed together in the Coast to Coast Blues Band backing up Hooker in the mid-1980's. Steve is from Milwaukee, Wis. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1970s and has lived there ever since.
Besides John Lee Hooker and Rogers, Ehrmann's other credits include performing with the Gospel Hummingbirds, Coco Montoya, Angela Strehli, and Mighty Mike Schermer.
• Billy Lee Lewis – Drums / Percussion
Billy Lee Lewis has been with The Delta Rhythm Kings nearly two years. He brings a wide expertise (as well as literate sensibility) from the diverse artists with whom he has performed, most recently touring worldwide with the Tommy Castro Band. Lewis started early in his pursuit of a recording and stage career at age 16. He has done extensive commercial and film work as well as being a highly-acclaimed session drummer. His resume includes such artists as Marty Balin, Huey Lewis, Dr. John, Bob Weir, and Ronnie Specter, to name a few.
Roy Rogers is one of the premier slide guitarists performing today. With eight solo recordings, he has also been nominated for two Grammy Awards and six Grammy credits as the producer of John Lee Hooker and Ramblin' Jack Elliott releases. He is well known for his exciting live performances, having toured in the 1980s with John Lee Hooker's Coast to Coast Blues Band and then with his own group The Delta Rhythm Kings since 1986.
Rogers' ability to electrify and move audiences to their feet is well known. He loves to perform and it shows. Nominated for Best Blues Guitarist by the W.C. Handy's in 2003, his virtuosity and style of slide guitar has been recognized worldwide and acknowledged in such publications as Rolling Stone, USA Today, Billboard, Guitar Player, Acoustic Guitar and Guitar & Bass magazine. His musical talents have been featured on numerous film and TV soundtracks, most notably ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' and also ‘The Hot Spot' which he recorded with Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker and Taj Mahal and garnered a Grammy nomination.
A native Californian, he was born in 1950 and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He started playing guitar at age 12 and was exposed to a wealth of music styles, most notably the blues, which became his passion – especially the Delta Blues (Robert Johnson) and slide guitar. Since his first recording in 1976, he has become one of the finest practitioners and innovators of modern slide guitar.
Rogers has appeared at numerous festivals and special events throughout the world, including Montreux Jazz (Switzerland), North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), Notodden (Norway), Byron Bay (Australia), New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (USA) and Montreal Jazz (Canada) in addition to touring Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada.
A recording artist, producer and composer – he continues to combine diverse music influences to achieve his musical vision. Always eclectic in approach, he is constantly stretching the boundaries of slide guitar.
The Delta Rhythm Kings are:
• Steve Ehrmann – Bass Guitar. A longtime friend and band member, Ehrmann played bass with the original Delta Rhythm Kings in 1980. He introduced Roy to John Lee Hooker and they performed together in the Coast to Coast Blues Band backing up Hooker in the mid-1980's. Steve is from Milwaukee, Wis. He moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1970s and has lived there ever since.
Besides John Lee Hooker and Rogers, Ehrmann's other credits include performing with the Gospel Hummingbirds, Coco Montoya, Angela Strehli, and Mighty Mike Schermer.
• Billy Lee Lewis – Drums / Percussion
Billy Lee Lewis has been with The Delta Rhythm Kings nearly two years. He brings a wide expertise (as well as literate sensibility) from the diverse artists with whom he has performed, most recently touring worldwide with the Tommy Castro Band. Lewis started early in his pursuit of a recording and stage career at age 16. He has done extensive commercial and film work as well as being a highly-acclaimed session drummer. His resume includes such artists as Marty Balin, Huey Lewis, Dr. John, Bob Weir, and Ronnie Specter, to name a few.
Know and Go
Who: Paul Emery presents
What: A Dance Concert with Slide Guitar Hero – Roy Rogers & the Delta Rhythm Kings When: 8 p.m. Saturday Where: The Center for the Arts, 314 West Main Street, Grass Valley Tickets: $20; available at The Center Box Office, (530) 274-8384 ext. 14; Yabobo, (530) 478-9114; BriarPatch, (530) 272-5333; Cherry Records, (530) 823-2147, and online at www.stringsconcerts.com |
