Mick Rogers (born Michael Oldroyd, 20 September 1946, Dovercourt, Essex, England) is an English rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, chiefly known for his time with Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1971 to 1975 and again since 1984.
His father was a drummer and his uncle a string bass player. The young Rogers was weaned on his uncle's jazz collection[2] and 1950s rock and roll.[3] Before MMEB he was a member of The Vision, which backed Adam Faith, and the Australian bands The Playboys, Bulldog, and Procession.[4][5]
He left the Earth Band because he wanted to steer the band more in the direction of Frank Zappa, which created friction with Mann.[6]
I had an offer to [play with] Zappa and got to know him fairly well and played with him. I became too much for the band and, I think, I had to go. It was like I was being destructive in as much that I wanted to play other things, you know? It was probably a midlife muso crisis. I worked through that. Earlier in my career I had lived in Australia and I went back through there, hooked up with some friends of mine, who are fusion players. We used to do some crazy stuff, like Ornette Coleman stuff. One moment we would be playing Ornette Coleman and the next I would be doing something from the 1950s. I'd be doing a couple of Elvis things. Even with the Earth Band, now, I do 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' on my own. I went to Los Angeles for a while, too, and got the muso stuff out of my system and rejoined the Earth Band in 1986 and I've been there since.
— Mick Rogers, Prog Rock FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Rock's Most Progressive Music[7]
After his initial departure from MMEB in 1975, he returned to Australia to work and then returned to the UK, where he formed the band Aviator with drummer Clive Bunker. They released two albums.
During his second tenure with the Earth Band (that continues to this day), Rogers released a handful of solo albums. His solo debut Back to Earth got a mixed review on the German Babyblaue Prog-Reviews, which praised Rogers' vocal and guitar work but criticized the fact that he was not accompanied by other musicians and instead relied on programmed drums.[8]Father of Day was described on the same site as a maxi single, which shared its parent album's qualities and shortcomings.[9]
Sharabang, recorded in the Austrian Alps,[10] featured Matt & Gregg Bissonette[11] and was mixed by Chuck Ainlay.[12] The album got a positive review from RockTimes, praising authentic and solid work and giving a lot of attention to Rogers' own compositions such as "Cutting Me to Pieces".[13] A similarly positive review was published by Musik an sich, giving the album 15 out of 20 stars. Reviewer Jürgen Weber lauded Rogers' rendition of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and also pointed out "Cutting Me to Pieces" as a highlight, but noted that the album could have done with more original songs and more uptempo material.[14]
Musicreviews.de was more reserved in its review, again praising the Rammstein-esque "Cutting Me to Pieces" as well as Rogers's vocals, but criticizing some soft songs in the second half and the too obvious choice of covers.[15] According to Rogers himself, he would've preferred to cover obscure songs from the 1950s and tracks by Ornette Coleman, but his label preferred more accessible song choices such as "The Joker".[16] He also later denounced his non-album Christmas release from 2012, a cover of the John Lennon / Yoko Ono song Happy Xmas (War Is Over), saying he was sponsored to do it, but wouldn't do it again because it wasn't his style.[17]
During the initial years with Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Mick Rogers was the only guitarist and chief lead vocalist in the group. When he returned in 1984, he shared vocal and guitar duties with Chris Thompson until Thompson's exit. The band effectively stopped existing after the release of Masque in 1987 but a new formation was formed in the early 1990s. Chris Thompson's parts and several new songs were now sung by Noel McCalla, whereas Rogers mostly only sang lead on "Father of Day, Father of Night", "Joybringer" and some verses on "Spirits in the Night" and "Mighty Quinn". This pattern did not change through further line-ups; Rogers is once again the band's main guitarist (current vocalist Robert Hart intermittently plays guitar) but never sings more than a handful of vocal parts, which in recent times have typically included a stripped-down version of "Do Wah Diddy Diddy".
In 2020, Rogers planned to play material of the early Earth Band with original member Colin Pattenden and keyboardist Mike Keneally at the Burg Herzberg Festival under the moniker "Solar Fire", however this didn't happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The appearance was rescheduled twice and planned for 2022.[18]
Mick Rogers lives in Surrey and has three kids.[19] In a 2019 interview, he explained his opposition to Brexit ("Make that a headline: Mick Rogers does not want out of the EU").[20]
Discography
Back to Earth (2002)
Father of Day (2003)
Sharabang (2013)
References
^"Home". Mick-rogers.com. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
^"Mick Rogers - Weg vom Rockzipfel". Classic Rock Magazin (in German). 25 March 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^. Platform-end.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
^"Procession". Milesago.com. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
^. Classicwebs.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
^Live, Coventry (27 April 2012). "Music: Mick Rogers: No-one on Earth thought I'd return". CoventryLive. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^Romano, Will (1 November 2014). Prog Rock FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Rock's Most Progressive Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN978-1-61713-620-7.
^"Babyblaue Prog-Reviews: Mick Rogers: Back to earth: Review". www.babyblaue-seiten.de. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^"Babyblaue Prog-Reviews: Mick Rogers: Father of day: Review". www.babyblaue-seiten.de. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^. 25 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^"Mick Rogers – Revolver Promotion". www.revolverpromotion.com. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^Wilitzki, Conrad (20 May 2013). "Mick Rogers – Sharabang". Popmonitor (in German). Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^"Mick Rogers - Weg vom Rockzipfel". Classic Rock Magazin (in German). 25 March 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^Quadt, Mario (15 June 2019). "Interview mit Musiker Mick Rogers: Manfred Mann's Earth Band gastiert in Rheinbach". General-Anzeiger Bonn (in German). Retrieved 21 May 2021.
^"Burg Herzberg Festival 🎵 - Live @ #_LOCATIONNAME, #_LOCATIONTOWN". Konzertkalender (in German). Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^KG, VRM Mittelhessen GmbH & Co (13 June 2017). "Rogers schaut sich Weilburg an". www.mittelhessen.de (in German). Retrieved 15 May 2021.
^Quadt, Mario (15 June 2019). "Interview mit Musiker Mick Rogers: Manfred Mann's Earth Band gastiert in Rheinbach". General-Anzeiger Bonn (in German). Retrieved 21 May 2021.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mick Rogers.
Official website
Discogs.com
This article on a UK guitarist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
mick, rogers, musician, mick, rogers, born, michael, oldroyd, september, 1946, dovercourt, essex, england, english, rock, guitarist, singer, songwriter, chiefly, known, time, with, manfred, mann, earth, band, from, 1971, 1975, again, since, 1984, mick, rogersm. Mick Rogers born Michael Oldroyd 20 September 1946 Dovercourt Essex England is an English rock guitarist singer and songwriter chiefly known for his time with Manfred Mann s Earth Band from 1971 to 1975 and again since 1984 Mick RogersMick Rogers in Gelsenkirchen 2010 Background informationBorn 1946 09 20 20 September 1946 age 76 Dovercourt Essex England 1 Occupation s MusicianWebsitewww wbr mick rogers wbr com Contents 1 Early life and career 2 First period with Manfred Mann s Earth Band 3 Departure from Manfred Mann s Earth Band 4 Return to Manfred Mann s Earth Band 5 Later projects 6 Discography 7 References 8 External linksEarly life and career EditHis father was a drummer and his uncle a string bass player The young Rogers was weaned on his uncle s jazz collection 2 and 1950s rock and roll 3 Before MMEB he was a member of The Vision which backed Adam Faith and the Australian bands The Playboys Bulldog and Procession 4 5 First period with Manfred Mann s Earth Band EditMain article Manfred Mann s Earth Band FormationDeparture from Manfred Mann s Earth Band EditHe left the Earth Band because he wanted to steer the band more in the direction of Frank Zappa which created friction with Mann 6 I had an offer to play with Zappa and got to know him fairly well and played with him I became too much for the band and I think I had to go It was like I was being destructive in as much that I wanted to play other things you know It was probably a midlife muso crisis I worked through that Earlier in my career I had lived in Australia and I went back through there hooked up with some friends of mine who are fusion players We used to do some crazy stuff like Ornette Coleman stuff One moment we would be playing Ornette Coleman and the next I would be doing something from the 1950s I d be doing a couple of Elvis things Even with the Earth Band now I do Shake Rattle and Roll on my own I went to Los Angeles for a while too and got the muso stuff out of my system and rejoined the Earth Band in 1986 and I ve been there since Mick Rogers Prog Rock FAQ All That s Left to Know About Rock s Most Progressive Music 7 After his initial departure from MMEB in 1975 he returned to Australia to work and then returned to the UK where he formed the band Aviator with drummer Clive Bunker They released two albums Return to Manfred Mann s Earth Band EditMain article Manfred Mann s Earth Band 1980sLater projects EditDuring his second tenure with the Earth Band that continues to this day Rogers released a handful of solo albums His solo debut Back to Earth got a mixed review on the German Babyblaue Prog Reviews which praised Rogers vocal and guitar work but criticized the fact that he was not accompanied by other musicians and instead relied on programmed drums 8 Father of Day was described on the same site as a maxi single which shared its parent album s qualities and shortcomings 9 Sharabang recorded in the Austrian Alps 10 featured Matt amp Gregg Bissonette 11 and was mixed by Chuck Ainlay 12 The album got a positive review from RockTimes praising authentic and solid work and giving a lot of attention to Rogers own compositions such as Cutting Me to Pieces 13 A similarly positive review was published by Musik an sich giving the album 15 out of 20 stars Reviewer Jurgen Weber lauded Rogers rendition of I Heard It Through the Grapevine and also pointed out Cutting Me to Pieces as a highlight but noted that the album could have done with more original songs and more uptempo material 14 Musicreviews de was more reserved in its review again praising the Rammstein esque Cutting Me to Pieces as well as Rogers s vocals but criticizing some soft songs in the second half and the too obvious choice of covers 15 According to Rogers himself he would ve preferred to cover obscure songs from the 1950s and tracks by Ornette Coleman but his label preferred more accessible song choices such as The Joker 16 He also later denounced his non album Christmas release from 2012 a cover of the John Lennon Yoko Ono song Happy Xmas War Is Over saying he was sponsored to do it but wouldn t do it again because it wasn t his style 17 During the initial years with Manfred Mann s Earth Band Mick Rogers was the only guitarist and chief lead vocalist in the group When he returned in 1984 he shared vocal and guitar duties with Chris Thompson until Thompson s exit The band effectively stopped existing after the release of Masque in 1987 but a new formation was formed in the early 1990s Chris Thompson s parts and several new songs were now sung by Noel McCalla whereas Rogers mostly only sang lead on Father of Day Father of Night Joybringer and some verses on Spirits in the Night and Mighty Quinn This pattern did not change through further line ups Rogers is once again the band s main guitarist current vocalist Robert Hart intermittently plays guitar but never sings more than a handful of vocal parts which in recent times have typically included a stripped down version of Do Wah Diddy Diddy In 2020 Rogers planned to play material of the early Earth Band with original member Colin Pattenden and keyboardist Mike Keneally at the Burg Herzberg Festival under the moniker Solar Fire however this didn t happen due to the COVID 19 pandemic The appearance was rescheduled twice and planned for 2022 18 Mick Rogers lives in Surrey and has three kids 19 In a 2019 interview he explained his opposition to Brexit Make that a headline Mick Rogers does not want out of the EU 20 Discography EditBack to Earth 2002 Father of Day 2003 Sharabang 2013 References Edit Home Mick rogers com Retrieved 26 January 2018 Mick Rogers Weg vom Rockzipfel Classic Rock Magazin in German 25 March 2014 Retrieved 15 May 2021 Manfred Mann s Earth Band Band Members Mick Rogers Platform end co uk Archived from the original on 21 December 2011 Retrieved 26 January 2018 Procession Milesago com Retrieved 12 September 2013 Manfred Mann Classicwebs com Archived from the original on 20 July 2013 Retrieved 12 September 2013 Live Coventry 27 April 2012 Music Mick Rogers No one on Earth thought I d return CoventryLive Retrieved 15 May 2021 Romano Will 1 November 2014 Prog Rock FAQ All That s Left to Know About Rock s Most Progressive Music Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN 978 1 61713 620 7 Babyblaue Prog Reviews Mick Rogers Back to earth Review www babyblaue seiten de Retrieved 15 May 2021 Babyblaue Prog Reviews Mick Rogers Father of day Review www babyblaue seiten de Retrieved 15 May 2021 MICK ROGERS ein Interview von Michael Stecher mit dem Sanger und Gitarristen der Manfred Mann s Earthband X ACT Music Magazine 25 January 2021 Archived from the original on 25 January 2021 Retrieved 15 May 2021 Mick Rogers Revolver Promotion www revolverpromotion com Retrieved 15 May 2021 Wilitzki Conrad 20 May 2013 Mick Rogers Sharabang Popmonitor in German Retrieved 15 May 2021 ROCKTIMES CD Review Mick Rogers Sharabang www rocktimes info Retrieved 15 May 2021 Mick Rogers Sharabang Musik an sich www musikansich de Retrieved 21 May 2021 Mick Rogers Sharabang Review Kritik Album Rezension Classic Rock www musikreviews de Retrieved 15 May 2021 Mick Rogers Weg vom Rockzipfel Classic Rock Magazin in German 25 March 2014 Retrieved 15 May 2021 Quadt Mario 15 June 2019 Interview mit Musiker Mick Rogers Manfred Mann s Earth Band gastiert in Rheinbach General Anzeiger Bonn in German Retrieved 21 May 2021 Burg Herzberg Festival Live LOCATIONNAME LOCATIONTOWN Konzertkalender in German Retrieved 15 May 2021 KG VRM Mittelhessen GmbH amp Co 13 June 2017 Rogers schaut sich Weilburg an www mittelhessen de in German Retrieved 15 May 2021 Quadt Mario 15 June 2019 Interview mit Musiker Mick Rogers Manfred Mann s Earth Band gastiert in Rheinbach General Anzeiger Bonn in German Retrieved 21 May 2021 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mick Rogers Official website Discogs com This article on a UK guitarist is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mick Rogers musician amp oldid 1106620137, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
