1. Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye) (November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), was a singer and cowboy actor, as well as the namesake of the famous Roy Rogers Restaurants chain. He and his second wife Dale Evans, his golden palomino Trigger, and his German Shepherd Dog, Bullet, were featured in over one hundred movies and The Roy Rogers Show. The show ran on radio for nine years before moving to television from 1951 through 1957. His productions usually featured a sidekick, often either Pat Brady, (who drove a jeep called "Nellybelle") or the crotchety Gabby Hayes. Roy's nickname was "King of the Cowboys". Dale's nickname was "Queen of the West." For many Americans (and non-Americans), he was the embodiment of a cowboy.
2. “Roy Rogers means the modern master in the art of slide guitar…His versatility with the technique is nothing short of astonishing.” ~ All Music Guide
Roy Rogers is considered one of the world's premier slide guitarists performing today. With 8 Grammy nominations as producer and performer, he is also an internationally acclaimed producer, having produced recordings for John Lee Hooker (4 Grammy Nominations and 2 Grammy Awards) and Ramblin' Jack Elliott (2 Grammy Nominations). He has received numerous accolades for his songwriting (Grammy Nomination for ‘Song for Jessica’, Grammy nomination for Bonnie Raitt for Best Rock Female Vocal on ‘Gnawin’ On It which he co-wrote), as well as his work on movie soundtracks and television. Split Decision, is his latest studio recording with his band, The Delta Rhythm Kings which was released by Blind Pig in 2009. In May of 2011, Roy released a collaboration with The Doors Keyboardist, Ray Manzarek entitled ‘Translucent Blues’ also available on Blind Pig which debut #6 on the Billboard charts, and reached #1 on the American Roots Rock Chart this past summer. Ray and Roy are currently in the studio working on a new project - #3 for this rare collaboration. This year - with 5 countries on the radar screen and touring the U.S. and Canada - he continues to ignite and inspire audiences across the globe.
Born in Redding, California in 1950, he began playing guitar at twelve years of age. A year later at age 13, he was performing in a rock 'n' roll band that wore gold lame jackets and played Little Richard and Chuck Berry tunes. He discovered the great blues players early on, especially when his older brother brought home an album by Robert Johnson. Thus began his love of the blues, slide guitar in particular, which had an immediate effect on Roy, who was indeed named after the King of the Cowboys. Through the years he developed a distinctive style of playing slide guitar that not only emerged, but one that is instantly recognizable.
During the 1960's Rogers frequented the San Francisco rock clubs where he saw many of the blues greats who inspired him. He performed with various groups until 1976, when he and harmonica player David Burgin formed an acoustic duo and recorded an album Rogers And Burgin: A Foot In The Door for Waterhouse Records. They also played on the "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" movie soundtrack before the duet ran it's course. Rogers then formed his own band in 1980, the Delta Rhythm Kings, hit the club circuit, played a few more movie and television gigs, and toured Europe with the 1982 San Francisco Blues Festival Revue (recording an album with that Revue in Paris).
Shortly after returning from Europe, Rogers was asked to join John Lee Hooker's Coast to Coast Blues Band. During the four years he toured with Hooker as a featured guitarist/vocalist, Rogers established a strong personal and professional relationship with the venerated blues legend. Said Hooker, "I just can't say enough good things about Roy. He plays so good. Some of the best slide I've heard, best blues I've heard. He gets real deep and funky, and he masters whatever he plays." Near the end of his tenure in Hooker's band, Roy began to open shows as a solo act, giving him a chance to perform some of the classic country blues and original compositions he'd been perfecting for years. He then went on to produce the historically important four recordings for John Lee Hooker. "The Healer" "Mr. Lucky" "Boom Boom" "Chill Out" - some tracks involving co producer credits with Ry Cooder and Van Morrison.
In 1985 he released his first solo album, Chops Not Chaps on his own label, which received widespread radio play and was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award. In 1987, Blind Pig released his second solo album, Slidewinder. It includes fantastic duets with Hooker and New Orleans piano great Allen Toussaint, as well as songs with his own band. The rave reviews in the national press and extensive radio play that followed further enhanced Roy's growing reputation. Roy's third solo release, Blues On The Range was also issued on Blind Pig in 1989 and continued to win new fans to his incredible slide guitar, arrangements and songwriting skills.
Roy’s musical talents were featured on the soundtrack for the 1990 film “The Hot Spot,”
which he recorded with Miles Davis, John Lee Hooker and Taj Mahal and which also garnered a Grammy nomination.
In 1991, Rogers hooked up with another Bay Area artist, harmonica virtuoso and vocalist Norton Buffalo to produce the highly acclaimed release R & B. The album is a true American array of acoustic tunes from blues to ballads capturing the incredible chemistry of these powerful performers. The cut "Song For Jessica" received a Grammy Award nomination in 1991 and another track, "Ain't No Bread In The Breadbox" was made into a performance video which received airplay on many outlets, including The Nashville Network.
The duo came back in 1992 with the Blind Pig release Travellin' Tracks, featuring live performances as well as studio tracks where they are joined by a rhythm section on several cuts. The dynamic interplay between the pair is undeniable and the release furthered the artist's already outstanding reputations.
As a recording artist, as well as a producer and composer, Rogers’ has recorded not only on his own to critical acclaim, but with others including Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Miller, Sammy Hagar, Ray Manzarek and a slew of other great artists. He has been touring worldwide since 1982 and has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious festivals including Montreux, North Sea Jazz Festival, Pori, Pistoia, New Orleans Jazz Festival and more. He continues to tour worldwide with stirring live performances. His ability to electrify and move audiences is legendary. Always eclectic in approach, Roy Rogers is consistently stretching the boundaries of slide guitar.
“Thatʼs not a slide on Roy Rogersʼ pinky, itʼs a time machine. With it, Rogers transports you to the Mississippi Deltaʼs past and future. ......” ~ Guitar Player
US slide guitarist Roy Rogers plays blues, country and rock music. Aware of the inevitable confusion, Rogers named his publishing company "Chops Not Chaps Music." The discography of this profile contains the following albums which are from him and/or from Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo:
Split Decision
Blues on the Range
Slideways
Pleasure and Pain
Rhythm & Groove
Slide Zone
Chops Not Chaps
Slidewinder
Slide of Hand
Live! At The Sierra Nevada Brewery Big Room (with the Delta Rhythm Kings)
Travellin' Tracks (with Norton Buffalo)
R&B (with Norton Buffalo)
Roots of Our Nature (with Norton Buffalo)
Official Website: Roy Rogers
3. Roy Rogers is a house producer who has released 2 records on the famous Vegas label.
Stampede
Roy Rogers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thunder a rollin' through the air
Wind and rain, cattle look insane
This herd might stampede tonight.
Clouds are drivin' cross the moonless sky
Cattle a rollin' frightened eyes.
Cowboy pray with all you might
That this herd won't stampede tonight.
There's lightning, there's thunder
There's wind and rain, stampede!
Ten thousand cattle on the run
Pray for an early morning sun
Lightning stabs the skies
Cattle drop and never rise, stampede!
Ten thousand cattle in flight
The devil's ridin' herd tonight
The thunder of the hooves and the fury from the skies
Don't get out in front or every man dies.
Cold black clouds like funeral shrouds
Roll down their icy threat
And we face to fight this raging night
With odds on the side death.
For a stampeding herd
When it's panic is stirred
Is a thing for a cowboy to shun
For no mortal man ever holds command
When the cattle are on the run
Stampede!
The rising of the wind sends out its wail
Drivin' cattle down an endless trail
Rollin' thunder booms sending cattle to their doom
Stampede!
Stampede!
Stampede!...
The lyrics of Roy Rogers's song "Stampede" paint a vivid picture of the dangers faced by cowboys during a cattle drive. The song describes the chaos that can be unleashed by a stampeding herd of cattle, which can be triggered by lightning, thunder, wind, rain, or other stimuli that spook the animals. The stakes are high, as the lives of both the cattle and the cowboys are at risk during a stampede. The song emphasizes the importance of keeping the herd under control and praying for a safe outcome. The use of poetic devices such as repetition (of the word "stampede") and alliteration (in phrases such as "fury from the skies" and "cattle drop and never rise") adds to the intensity of the imagery.
Line by Line Meaning
Lightning a flashin' everywhere
Electricity crackles through the sky, illuminating everything in sight
Thunder a rollin' through the air
The deep, booming noise of the storm echoes across the land
Wind and rain, cattle look insane
The gusts of wind carry sheets of water that lash at the cows' hides, making them seem crazed
This herd might stampede tonight.
The cows may go wild in panic and run out of control, causing chaos and potential danger
Clouds are drivin' cross the moonless sky
The rain clouds are being pushed along by the wind, hiding the moon from view
Cattle a rollin' frightened eyes.
The cows' eyes bulge in fear as they try to make sense of the chaos around them
Keep 'em close and tight,
The cowboy needs to make sure the cows stay together in a group
Cowboy pray with all you might
The cowboy is desperately hoping that nothing goes wrong and that the cows remain calm
That this herd won't stampede tonight.
The cowboy is specifically praying that the cows won't go into a panicked frenzy and create a dangerous situation
There's lightning, there's thunder
The storm is full-force and intense
There's wind and rain, stampede!
The weather is so extreme that it could incite a stampede
Ten thousand cattle on the run
A huge number of cows are spooked and fleeing
Pray for an early morning sun
The cowboy is wishing for the end of the fearful night and for safe daylight to come soon
Lightning stabs the skies
Bolts of electricity shoot through the air, adding to the turbulent atmosphere
Cattle drop and never rise, stampede!
Some cows get trampled or injured in the chaos, making it hard for them to get back up
Ten thousand cattle in flight
The cows are scattering wildly, trying to escape the situation
The devil's ridin' herd tonight
The storm is so intense that it's as though something evil is controlling the cows
The thunder of the hooves and the fury from the skies
The cows' footsteps and the rage of the weather create an almost apocalyptic scene
Don't get out in front or every man dies.
If the cowboy tries to lead the cows from the front, he's at extreme risk of being trampled to death
Cold black clouds like funeral shrouds
The menacing clouds bring a sense of doom to the situation
Roll down their icy threat
The weather feels so intimidating that it's as if threatening material is being unleashed from the sky
And we face to fight this raging night
The cowboy is bravely standing up to the danger of the situation
With odds on the side death.
The likelihood of survival seems low given the gravity of the circumstances
For a stampeding herd
The scenario of cows running out of control
When it's panic is stirred
When the cows get agitated and frightened
Is a thing for a cowboy to shun
A wise cowboy will avoid or subvert a stampede to protect himself and those around him
For no mortal man ever holds command
The situation is too dangerous and out-of-control for one person to have complete authority over the cows
When the cattle are on the run
When the cows are panicked and scattering in every direction
Stampede!
The situation is critical and dangerous, requiring swift and intelligent action from the cowboy
The rising of the wind sends out its wail
The way the wind sounds as it picks up speed creates an eerie, unnerving noise
Drivin' cattle down an endless trail
The storm seems like it will never end and is driving the cows to a seemingly endless destination
Rollin' thunder booms sending cattle to their doom
The sound of the storm is adding to the cows' sense of panic and danger
Stampede!
The danger of a wildly wind-whipped and thunder-booming situation that could potentially harm everyone within perceivable distance
Stampede!...
Exclaiming the immediacy and danger of the situation in escalating urgency and with frenzied passion
Writer(s): Darol Rice, Foy Glenn Willing
Contributed by Caroline T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.