Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing villages of the Maritime provinces and, later, the farms of the Canadian prairies and Great Lakes. Rogers died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797 on the ground at the Greater Cincinnati Airport at the age of 33.
Rogers was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the eldest son of Nathan Allison Rogers and Valerie (née Bushell) Rogers, two Maritimers who had relocated to Ontario in search of work shortly after their marriage in July 1948. Although Rogers was raised in Binbrook, Ontario, he often spent summers visiting family in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia.
It was there that he became familiar with the way of life in the Maritimes, an influence which was to have a profound impact on his subsequent musical development. He was interested in music from an early age, reportedly beginning to sing shortly after learning to speak. He received his first guitar, a miniature hand-built by his uncle Lee Bushell, when he was five years of age. He was exposed to a variety of music influences, but among the most lasting were the country and western tunes his uncles would sing during family get-togethers. Throughout his childhood, he would practice his singing and playing along with his brother Garnet, six years his junior.
While Rogers was attending Saltfleet High School, Stoney Creek, Ontario, he started to meet other young people interested in folk music, although at this time he was dabbling in rock and roll, singing and playing bass guitar in garage bands such as "Stanley and the Living Stones" and "The Hobbits". After high school, Rogers briefly attended both McMaster University and Trent University, where he performed in small venues with other student musicians, including Ian Tamblyn, Chris Ward and fellow Hobbit Nigel Russell. Russell wrote the song "White Collar Holler", which Rogers sang frequently on stage.
Rogers signed with RCA Records in 1970 and recorded two singles: "Here's to You Santa Claus" in 1970, and "The Fat Girl Rag" in 1971. In 1973, Rogers recorded three singles for Polygram: "Three Pennies", "Guysborough Train", and "Past Fifty."
In 1976, Rogers recorded his debut album, Fogarty's Cove, released in 1977 on Barnswallow Records. The album's subject matter dealt almost entirely with life in maritime Canada, and was an immediate success. Rogers then formed Fogarty's Cove Music, and bought Barnswallow during the production of Turnaround, allowing him to release his own albums. Posthumously, additional albums were released.[citation needed]
Rogers' songs often had a Celtic feel which was due, in part, to his frequent use of DADGAD guitar tuning. He regularly used his William 'Grit' Laskin built 12-string guitar in his performances. His best-known pieces include "Northwest Passage", "Barrett's Privateers", "The Mary Ellen Carter", "Make and Break Harbour", "The Idiot", "Fogarty's Cove", and "White Squall".
Rogers died alongside 22 other passengers most likely of smoke inhalation on June 2, 1983, while traveling on Air Canada Flight 797 (a McDonnell Douglas DC-9) after performing at the Kerrville Folk Festival. The airliner was flying from Dallas, Texas, to Toronto and Montreal when a fire of unknown ignition source within the vanity or toilet shroud of the aft washroom forced it to make an emergency landing at the Greater Cincinnati Airport in northern Kentucky.
There were initially no visible flames, and after attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful, smoke filled the cabin. Upon landing, the plane's doors were opened, allowing the five crew and 18 of the passengers to escape, but approximately 60 to 90 seconds into the evacuation the oxygen rushing in from outside caused a flash fire. Rogers had initially been one of the passengers to escape, but he at some point re-entered the plane to assist in the effort to help others escape.
Rogers' legacy includes his recordings, songbook, and plays for which he was commissioned to write music. His songs are still frequently covered by other musicians, and are perennial favourites at Canadian campfires and song circles. Members of Rogers' band, including his brother Garnet Rogers, continue to be active performers and form a significant part of the fabric of contemporary Canadian folk music. Following his death, he was nominated for the 1984 Juno Awards in the category for Best Male Vocalist. That same year, he was posthumously awarded the Diplôme d’Honneur of the Canadian Conference of the Arts. In 1994, his posthumous live album Home in Halifax was likewise nominated for Best Roots and Traditional Album.
Stan's son, Nathan Rogers, is also an established Canadian folk artist with a voice and lyrical acumen similar to his father's. He has released two critically acclaimed solo discs and tours internationally as a solo act and in the trio Dry Bones.
Love Letter
Stan Rogers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To make me feel better, 'cause I'm so far from home.
Now, it seems like forever since the last time I saw you,
And I'd sure like to call you 'cause I feel so alone.
Now, it's another cold city but the same old hotel room.
They all look the same to me after a while.
A bed and a window over some dirty alley,
Now every telephone says, "Hold the line",
Like the preachers did when I was just a kid;
And it's strange how it still touches me after all this time.
They said, "Keep your light shining brightly".
And I just can't take it lightly; I'm still trying to find it.
Now, every evening brings another show,
To empty faces screaming over too much beer.
And what they find to talk about I guess I'll never, ever know.
But I'm leaving tomorrow and I don't regret it.
Just one more town and then I can forget â?¦
It's a picture of me writing you a love letter,
To make me feel better 'cause I've been feeling low.
Hey, it seems like forever since the last time I saw you,
But it won't be much longer, now, look out, honey,
You know I'm coming on home!
In "Love Letter," Stan Rogers expresses his loneliness and longing for his loved one while on the road as a musician. The song starts with Rogers looking at a picture of himself writing a love letter. The image is both a reminder of the love he has for his partner and an attempt to make himself feel better about being so far away from home. The song then transitions to Rogers describing his current situation in a cold and unfamiliar hotel room. As he looks out the window onto the streets and sees the empty, unsmiling faces of people passing by, Rogers highlights the stark contrast between this life on the road and the warmth and comfort of being at home with his partner.
As the chorus repeats, Rogers reflects on the advice he received from his elders when he was young to keep his light shining brightly. This advice seems to take on a new meaning for Rogers now that he is an adult, struggling to maintain a positive outlook while being so far away from his loved one. He finishes the song by expressing his hope that he will soon be able to return home, where he can be reunited with his partner and the loneliness he feels on the road can be left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Now here's a picture of me, writing you a love letter,
The singer is writing a love letter to his beloved to help him feel better while he is away from home.
To make me feel better, 'cause I'm so far from home.
The singer is sending a love letter to his beloved to help him feel less lonely while he is traveling.
Now, it seems like forever since the last time I saw you,
The singer hasn't seen his beloved in a long time and is feeling very lonely and homesick.
And I'd sure like to call you 'cause I feel so alone.
The singer is feeling very alone and wishes he could call his beloved but is unable to because of his current situation.
Now, it's another cold city but the same old hotel room.
The singer is in yet another strange city and is staying in a less than ideal hotel room.
They all look the same to me after a while.
The constant travel and staying in different cities has caused the singer to feel like all hotel rooms look the same after a while.
A bed and a window over some dirty alley,
The singer's hotel room has a view of a dirty alleyway.
Looking on to the streets meeting nobody's smile.
The singer observes the people on the streets and feels like no one is happy and everyone is lonely.
Now every telephone says, 'Hold the line',
The singer hears the phrase 'hold the line' every time he picks up the phone, like he did when he was a child.
Like the preachers did when I was just a kid;
The singer compares the phrase 'hold the line' to something he heard preachers say when he was young.
And it's strange how it still touches me after all this time.
The singer is surprised that the phrase 'hold the line' still evokes an emotional response in him after all these years.
They said, 'Keep your light shining brightly'.
The preachers encouraged people to keep their light shining brightly, which the singer interprets as a metaphor for staying positive and hopeful.
And I just can't take it lightly; I'm still trying to find it.
The singer takes the advice of 'keeping his light shining brightly' seriously and is still trying to find a way to stay positive and hopeful despite his current loneliness and isolation.
Now, every evening brings another show,
The singer performs at a different show every night as part of his work.
To empty faces screaming over too much beer.
The audience at the performance is drunk and disengaged, which makes the singer feel even more alone and isolated.
And what they find to talk about I guess I'll never, ever know.
The singer doesn't know what the audience is discussing or why they seem to enjoy his shows even when he is feeling very disconnected from them.
But I'm leaving tomorrow and I don't regret it.
Despite his loneliness and the lackluster audience, the singer is ready to move on to the next town.
Just one more town and then I can forget â?¦
The singer is counting down the days until he can return home and forget about the loneliness and isolation he has been feeling while on the road.
It's a picture of me writing you a love letter,
The singer is showing the audience the picture of him writing the love letter to his beloved that he mentioned earlier in the song.
To make me feel better 'cause I've been feeling low.
The love letter is meant to cheer the singer up because of his feelings of loneliness and homesickness.
Hey, it seems like forever since the last time I saw you,
The singer reiterates that he hasn't seen his beloved in a long time and is feeling very disconnected from home.
But it won't be much longer, now, look out, honey,
The singer is coming home soon and wants his beloved to be ready for his return.
You know I'm coming on home!
The singer is excited to be returning home to his beloved after his long and lonely journey.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NICK A KENNY, J FRED COOTS, CHARLES F KENNY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind