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.
sailor
Stan Rogers Lyrics
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It's acrimony down in the card room
With winning hands thrown on the baize;
Forgotten cards wait on the end of debate
On the good old days.
Captains and mates getting testy
With memories not of the best
And tempers are flying
Blue eyes in wrinkled Morocco
Still search the horizon for squalls,
And Zeros in the sky and the watchkeeper's eye
And the pawn shop balls.
The spice in the wind off Java
And the bars in Papity were best,
But the deck is too steady
Down at the Sailor's Rest.
(Chorus 2)
And oh...how they talk of the day they arrived;
When after the years, all the storms and the tears,
Still very much alive.
And oh...how their lives were spilled out on the floor
From the battered old seabags, the journals and logs
And the keepsakes locked in the chests
That were stowed in the attic [sold at the auction]
Down at the Sailor's Rest.
No rail on the mess room table
And you're dead if you spit on the floor.
No grog allowed, no singing too loud,
And no locks on the doors;
But there's always a fire in the card room
And the tucker is always the best,
And they'll end it together
Down at the Sailor's Rest.
(CHORUS 2)
And oh...how they talked of the day they arrived...
So...(CHORUS 1)
The song "Sailor's Rest" by Stan Rogers reflects on the life of sailors who have retired and now reside in the Sailor's Rest tavern. The chorus describes the tension in the card room where winning hands cause disagreements and arguments ensue. The sailors' memories of their past lives are not always pleasant and their tempers flare. The second verse talks about a sailor's life at sea, the lookout for squalls, and the bars in exotic locales like Java and Papity. But now the sailor's lives have changed, and they are retired in the Sailor's Rest. There is no longer the turbulence of the sea, and the once-exciting bars and ports of call are just memories.
The second chorus describes the sailors reminiscing about their past lives, the challenges they faced, and the keepsakes they collected during their journeys. The sailors are grateful to be alive and are proud of their accomplishments.
The song highlights the comradeship of the sailors even in their retirement years. There are no locks on the doors, and the sailors eat their meals together. The tavern is their new home, and they have each other to reminisce and reflect on their past lives at sea.
Overall, the song Sailor's Rest talks about the changes that come with retirement and how people adapt to a slower and different pace of life. The sailors in the song had action-packed and adventurous lives while they sailed the oceans, but now they have learned that being together and sharing their stories is what brings them joy and comfort in their later years.
Line by Line Meaning
It's acrimony down in the card room
There's an atmosphere of animosity in the card room.
With winning hands thrown on the baize;
Cards with potential of winning are being discarded on the green card table.
Forgotten cards wait on the end of debate
Cards that are disregarded wait for a final decision on their fate.
On the good old days.
On how good the past was.
Captains and mates getting testy
Sea captains and their colleagues are becoming irritable.
With memories not of the best
Remembering experiences that were not ideal.
And tempers are flying
People are getting hot-headed.
Down at the Sailor's Rest.
At the Sailor's Rest tavern.
Blue eyes in wrinkled Morocco
Elderly people with blue eyes, in their wrinkled faces, from years of sailing in the Mediterranean.
Still search the horizon for squalls,
Looking our for storm clouds on the horizon.
And Zeros in the sky and the watchkeeper's eye
Looking out for hostile planes in the sky with the help of watchkeepers.
And the pawn shop balls.
And the pool table balls not being brand new.
The spice in the wind off Java
The aromatic smell coming from the Java ocean.
And the bars in Papity were best,
The taverns and bars in Papity were unbeatable.
But the deck is too steady
However, the deck of the Sailor's Rest tavern is too stable.
Down at the Sailor's Rest.
At the Sailor's Rest tavern.
No rail on the mess room table
There are no boundaries on the mess room table.
And you're dead if you spit on the floor.
If you spit on the floor, you get into trouble.
No grog allowed, no singing too loud,
There is no alcohol and you can't sing too loudly.
And no locks on the doors;
There are no locks on the doors of the tavern.
But there's always a fire in the card room
However, there is always a fire burning in the card room.
And the tucker is always the best,
And the food is always of the highest quality.
And they'll end it together
And they will finish their voyage together.
Down at the Sailor's Rest.
At the Sailor's Rest tavern.
And oh...how they talk of the day they arrived...
And how they fondly talk about experiencing the day they arrived at port.
And oh...how their lives were spilled out on the floor
And how they emptied out their lives on the floor.
From the battered old seabags, the journals and logs
From the battered old seafarer's bags, the registers of their journeys and the chronicles.
And the keepsakes locked in the chests
And the valuable items secured in the chests.
That were stowed in the attic [sold at the auction]
Which were placed in the upper part of the house [that have been auctioned off].
Down at the Sailor's Rest.
At the Sailor's Rest tavern.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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