When the Randy Rogers Band’s last project debuted as the most-downloaded country album on iTunes, plenty of the industry “insiders” on Music Row were left scratching their heads: Who are these guys?
The Nashville elite may not have known about the five-piece band, but much of America already did. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them alongside such artists as U2 and the Stones in its list of Top 10 Must-See Artists in the summer of 2007. They earned $2.5 million—a staggering total for a still-developing act—on the tour circuit in a single year. Willie Nelson, the Eagles, Gary Allan and Dierks Bentley all picked them as opening acts for their concerts. And more than 2,200 people showed up and bought the bands album at an appearance at Wherehouse Music.
The fans’ exuberance was shared by USA Today, which praised the band for having “loads of grit, swagger and heart.”
The Randy Rogers Band built its audience by combining forces: It’s a dynamic live act centered around songs that fit the rowdy, party vibe of the concert circuit, but their songs also say something.
That’s particularly true in their album, The Randy Rogers Band, in which a dozen persuasive tracks give the listener plenty of reasons to want to down a celebratory brewski. But the songs also maintain a depth that makes them powerful and provocative even beyond their edgy arrangements and tough-guy sound.
Invariably, the songs are about people making choices and dealing with the consequences they bring. That’s the case in the opening “Wicked Ways,” in which a string of wild endeavors leaves an out-of-control adult in need of redemption. It’s true in “When The Circus Leaves Town,” where a performer comes to terms with the emotional crash that accompanies the conclusion of a pumped-up show. It’s even a tenet in “One Woman,” a ballad that finds a former playboy recognizing his old choices and behaviors were a shallow pursuit next to the promise and solidity that stand before him.
“These songs are definitely true, and they’re relatable to many different life situations that I’ve either gone through in the past or will go through in the future,” Rogers, the lead singer and primary songwriter, says. “I just tried to create believable characters and relatable characters. I hear from fans that we really have helped them in real-life situations when they’ve applied the songs to their everyday life. That’s what I strive for in the songs that I write.”
“We’re not old, but we are getting a little bit more mature,” bass player Jon Richardson asserts, drawing laughter from the rest of the band. “We’re trying to be more mature, anyway. And that’s something that we can write about a little more naturally now instead of ‘Here’s a song about how much fun I had’ or ‘Here’s a song about a girl.’ That’s probably just a natural progression of our own lives being reflected in our songs.”
Indeed, the Randy Rogers Band is confronting the same questions about relationships and identity that face many of the college students and young adults that form the centerpiece of the group’s audience. The balancing act between work, home and recreation is a difficult one—even tougher for an ensemble that spends more than 200 days annually on the road.
“All the guys, except for Jon, are married or soon to be married,” guitarist Geoffrey Hill observes. “Les [drummer] and I both have kids. So sometimes it feels like you’ve really gotta struggle to fit all that into your life, I guess, but it’s kinda part of the game. I always said that I play music for free, and I get paid to leave the family behind and go on the road.”
That requires a constant rededication to the group, a commitment the five members have repeatedly made since the current lineup coalesced in 2003.
The Randy Rogers Band’s status as a group has occasionally confused its audience, which sometimes assumes Rogers is simply a solo artist. It’s the same issue that acts such as Huey Lewis & The News and Edwin McCain have battled, though one that doesn’t concern RRB all that much.
“I don’t think it’s an issue at all,” fiddler Brady Black asserts. “I think when we got together, Randy had already had a band, and his name had been out a little bit, and so we just kind of went with it.”
“That,” Black smirks, “and he owned the van…”
Actually, the name came rather innocently. Rogers had developed a following, he played open-mic nights, impressing club owner Kent Finlay enough to offer Rogers his own regular night, as long as he found a band to back him.
That group might have taken his name, but Rogers—who’d had previous experiences as a guitar player in another band—had no interest in being just a one-man show.
“I always wanted everybody to be equal, not only financially but also input-wise and creatively,” he says. “When we started the band, I pledged to them that I would work every day as hard as I could and try to get us down the highway a little further if they would sign up with me and share in some of those sacrifices, and I think from that day on, everybody pretty much quit their alternative jobs, and kinda gave 110 percent to the band.”
The Randy Rogers Band took the same slot that George Strait and the Ace In The Hole band had once occupied at Cheatham Street, appropriate since the band used the same sort of inner motivation in building its sound as Strait did a generation ago.
Their music is hardly the same. In contrast to Strait’s pure-country aesthetics, RRB combines that traditional country sound with a rollicking, swagger influenced by rugged sounds from such diverse sources as Waylon Jennings and Stone Temple Pilots. But, as Finlay recognized, there’s an authenticity and honesty to the band that parallels Strait’s personal manifesto.
“In a way, George was a little bit out of the box for Nashville when he debuted,” Rogers notes, “I think George Strait, when he first hit town, he knew who he was, and I think that’s partly why he has been so successful throughout his career. If there’s a correlation between the two of us, I think that we definitely have a sound and we know who we are.”
The Randy Rogers Band further distinguishes that identity in its self-titled album, the band’s second release since signing with Mercury Nashville. Produced by longtime admirer Radney Foster, who’s successfully maintained alt country integrity while writing mainstream hits for the likes of Sara Evans and Keith Urban, sessions for The Randy Rogers Band took place at Dockside Studios, a bayou location in Maurice, Louisiana, that’s also been the breeding ground for projects by B.B. King, Mavis Staples, Keb’ Mo’, Levon Helm and Mark Knopfler.
“We shut ourselves up for 10 days and had a band-camp set up,” Richardson observes. “There weren’t any distractions. It wasn’t like we were all goin’ home every night and comin’ back the next day. We were just living and breathing it for 10 days or so. We were just completely absorbed by it.”
The consequences of that choice are just as absorbing for the listener. The album ranges from the hypnotic country of “Buy Myself A Chance” and the first single, “In My Arms Instead,” to the propulsive buzz of “Never Be That High” to the painful conclusion, “This Is Goodbye.”
Rogers’ various performances reflect the wide-ranging influences that snapped together in the process, evoking at times the sneer of Steve Earle, the soul of Bakersfield’s Monty Byrom (formerly of Big House) and the vulnerability of Keith Urban.
With its infectious hooks and daring attitude, the album underscores the iTunes popularity of the Randy Rogers Band, its critical appeal and its significance on the nation’s concert circuit, where they’ve broken attendance records at numerous clubs across the heartland. Even Kenny Chesney, who consistently places among the top-selling tours, saw the group’s blue-collar connection when he covered Rogers’ “Somebody Take Me Home” for the album The Road And The Radio.
Each of the five members recognizes his contribution to the Randy Rogers Band’s overall unity, and they repeatedly make choices—creatively and personally—that keep that all-for-one-and-one-for-all solidarity intact.
Shotgun
Randy Rogers Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I kept my pistol by my hand
Got my work done by the light of the moon
Evil deeds made up my mind
I traded peace for troubled times
Wickedness and whiskey were my fuel
Oh but now I keep locked away
I might've hung up my shotgun
But I didn't put it up so high
That I can't reach up and get it back down, if you give me a reason why
Still got a few shells itchin' to see the light of day
Couple rounds of buck shot go a long, long way
Once I had a good run,
But I hung up my shotgun
No one lives that life too long
Just in time somebody came along
With her help, I just might save myself
Sometimes I wake up at night,
Dreams of fire burnin' bright
Pray that I don't ever lose control
And so now I keep locked away
I might've hung up my shotgun
But I didn't put it up so high
That I can't reach up and get it back down, if you give me a reason why
Still got a few shells itchin' to see the light of day
Couple rounds of buck shot go a long, long way
Once I had a good run,
But I hung up my shotgun
I might've hung up my shotgun
But I didn't put it up so high
That I can't reach up and get it back down, if you give me a reason why
Still got a few shells itchin' to see the light of day
Couple rounds of buck shot go a long, long way
Once I had a good run,
But I hung up my shotgun
Yeah I hung up my shotgun
The lyrics of Randy Rogers Band's song "Shotgun" tell the story of a former gambler who used to live a life of wickedness and whiskey. He kept his pistol by his hand and did evil deeds by the light of the moon. However, the singer of the song decides to turn his life around and give up his life of crime after someone came into his life and helped him change his ways. Although he has hung up his shotgun, he warns that he still has a few shells left and if someone gives him a reason to use it, he won't hesitate. The song captures the internal struggle of someone who used to live a life of sin and the constant reminder that his past actions could catch up with him.
The lyrics of "Shotgun" are distinctive in that they tell a classic Western story with a modern twist. The lyrics are largely metaphors for the inner conflict people face when trying to leave behind negative behaviours. The song was written by Randy Rogers and the rest of the band and was released in 2016 as part of their album "Nothing Shines Like Neon". The song, along with the rest of the album, received critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Country Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I was a gamblin' man
I used to take risks in life
I kept my pistol by my hand
I always had my weapon ready for any situation
Got my work done by the light of the moon
I worked outside of the law in the darkness of the night
Evil deeds made up my mind
I let bad intentions govern my decisions
I traded peace for troubled times
I chose chaos over calmness in my life
Wickedness and whiskey were my fuel
I relied on vices to get me through tough times
Oh but now I keep locked away
I've changed my ways and now keep my destructive tendencies contained
I might've hung up my shotgun
I may have given up my old ways
But I didn't put it up so high
But I'm still able to access my weapon if needed
That I can't reach up and get it back down, if you give me a reason why
I still have the potential to resort to violence if provoked
Still got a few shells itchin' to see the light of day
I haven't completely let go of my past and still have the desire to use my weapon
Couple rounds of buck shot go a long, long way
Even a small amount of violence can have a great impact
No one lives that life too long
A life filled with violence and chaos is unsustainable
Just in time somebody came along
Someone helped me change my ways before it was too late
With her help, I just might save myself
The support of another person may be the key to redemption
Sometimes I wake up at night, dreams of fire burnin' bright
I still have dark thoughts and nightmares about my past life
Pray that I don't ever lose control
I hope to never let my old tendencies take over again
Yeah I hung up my shotgun
I've left my past life behind and am committed to a better future
Lyrics © JOHNNY CHOPS MUSIC
Written by: JON RICHARDSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind