The near legendary Aston Rogers was born at quite an early age in a dilapidated shack on the banks of the Dee Estuary in North Wales, England.
Aston was born into humble surroundings, the seventh son of a seventh daughter and it is now believed that he took the surname 'Rogers' after his real father- Aston Piggott run off with all the family's belongings to somewhere in Shropshire, in 1930.
His mother subsequently married the local Barber, a Wesley Rogers in 1932. Clippings from the time seem to indicate that Aston's new Stepfather was known locally as "Wes the Hair".
As one of many children in a poor haircropper's family, Aston's only real friends were his siblings. He has always maintained that he would have had more friends as a child if his parents had not forced him to wear his elder sisters' hand-me-down dresses.
Aston's love of music has it's origins in the fact that in late 1943 he befriended a local fisherman (Bill Tetra) who showed him a few scales on a Bass. The wily old whelker also taught the young Aston about different musical genres by means of Rockfish, Sole and Tuna. This also instilled into Aston the benefits of eating fresh seafood as part of a healthy diet.
Aston will now readily admit that he did not do particularly well at school, possibly due to the fact that by the time he had walked the 12 miles there each morning in his bare feet, it was time to hobble back home again. He did have some success though in a talent contest organised by the local Womens' Institute when he came fourth by impersonating flotsam and jetsom on Prestatyn Beach.
As a teenager Aston was captivated by the concept that the Phrygian scale could actually sound in tune and resolved to find a mathmatical formula that would prove this to be the case. Unfortunately his search for this fomula continues to this day.
Much of his early music seems to focus on the fact that during his formative years he never had much luck with the ladies.This has since been attributed to the fact that he attended an English public school, however some experts do not believe this story to be true and have attributed his lack of success to his undoubtedly fishy breath. Both sets of experts do agree though, that he did once have a rather nice time during the summer of 1959 on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg. It was during this time that he met four young Scouse musicians who were in need of a good haircut. Aston mentioned that his Stepfather was 'Wes the Hair' and they agreed that he could have a go at giving them a light trim. The lads themselves were not that impressed with Aston's tonsorial tinkering and as they threw him out the door one of them was heard to remark that "we look like a load of mop heads". To this day Aston wonders what became of them.
As soon as Aston reached 14 years of age he was forced to leave the family home and seek employment. Somehow he managed to find a job at the fledgling food company Heinz 32 Varieties, working as a salesman plying his trade across North and Mid Wales.
This would prove to be a seminal moment in the near legends' life. It is strongly rumoured that when Aston was on a routine sales trip travelling down to Mid Wales during the summer of '49, he encounterd a shadowy figure at the Llyn Clys crossroads. This strange red faced gentleman allegedly promised Aston great musical skills if only he would sell him his soup.
Legend would have us believe that the strange character that Aston encountered was none other than Lucifer himself. However, eye witness accounts from the time insist that the strange character was undoubtedly a local undertaker known as 'Dai the Death' who had developed a passionate taste for tinned "cream of tomato". The Barmaid from the local pub did hint though, that in his time, Dai had been a "bit of a devil" with the ladies.
What is indisputible however is the fact that Aston did take up the guitar at this time and bought his first real six string. It is strongly rumoured that he bought this guitar secondhand from a scottish gents outfitters (Fife and Deims') who also showed him a few Cords. We also know from neighbours of Aston's at the time, that within twenty years he had mastered how to tune it up. He then decided that the instrument was too complicated for a man from such simple beginnings and decided to retire from playing music.
Aston now cites his musical influences as being the great old blues singers of the Dee Estuary, namely, Deaf Don Davies, Dumb Dan Downey and Wee Willie Watson (although it is now believed Willie was actually of Scots descent).
On reaching his twilight years Aston has mellowed in his approach to music and has returned to his second love:- the guitar. At the age of 70 he decided to purchase an electric guitar and then spent the next two years saving up to buy an amplifier for it.
He composed his first song at the age of 73. Now aged 78, Aston works as a part time waste paper basket in a small department store in Shrewsbury and is confident that as soon as he has electricity installed in the squat where he lives he will be able to play his new guitar to his neighbours a couple of streets away.
He keeps himself fit by lifting his eyebrows and running the bath everyday and looks forward to the time that he can retire to his boyhood home on the Deeside delta.
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