John Rogers

I started playing drums at the ripe old age of 4. Following in the footsteps of my father & brother, I became involved with Drum Corps. I became a member of the Bayonne Bridgemen Organization from 1979 - 1984 under the direction of famed percussion arranger Dennis DeLucia. I had the pleasure of marching with Pat Petrillo, Jeff Prosperie, Eddie Drayton, Mark Teofilio & Tommy Igoe among others. I have to say that Drum Corps not only developed my chops but also taught me how to be a team player & the rigors of touring..............a really great lesson in life! Thank you Dennis , Dubie and the rest of the staff. Afterwards I attended the Berklee College Of Music (84 - 86) and studied with Tommy Campbell, Skip Hadden, Ed Uribe & John Ramsay. I later studied privately with Joe Campitiello, Pat Petrillo, David Garibaldi & Colin Bailey. Upon returning home from Berklee I immediately put my skills to work by becoming a member of the Bobby Mercer Roadshow touring the east coast. I then started my own Soul/R&B band "What It Is" that featured Martin Rivas -lead vox/guitar , Andy Alonso - bass/vox, Robbie Surace - keyboards/vox and myself as the core rhythm section playing locally in and around NYC. During that time we became the house band for the Jammin' 105 radio station in NYC as well as developing quite a following playing to packed houses including Le Bar Bat in NYC. At the same time I also became a member of The Eggmen, a Beatles tribute band based out of NY. A couple of years later I had the opportunity to join the Martin Rivas 3. The group featured two of the most talented cats I know: Mart Rivas - guitar/vocals and Fernando Estrella - bass/vocals. Although only together for a short time the band stirred up quite a buzz in the Greenwich Village original club circuit. One of my highlights was performing at the famed CBGB's club. Thank you and R.I.P. to Hilly Kristal. Currently I'm a member of The Eastside Mix (R&B), The Retro Kings (classic rock done right) - myspace.com/retrokings - and Sliced Bread (organ trio) - myspace.com/slicedbreadjazz - featuring the ultra talented Vic Magnani - guitar and Mike Mullen - organ. Some highlights of my career have been performances with Tom Bowes (Tower Of Power) , Mark "The Loveman" Pender and Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg (Conan O'Brien , Bruce Springsteen , Southside Johnny, etc........ who haven't these two guys played with?) Jeff Kazee (Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny) Jeffrey Lee Campbell (Sting, Aretha Franklin) Vivian Sessoms, Jenny Douglas-McRae and Timmy Cappello (Ringo Starr, Tina Turner).My Top Ten Albums: Desert Island Discs1.)The Beatles - "Abbey Road" 2.) Sting - "Ten Summoners Tales" 3.) James Taylor - "Live" 4.) James Brown - "Star Time" (boxed set) 5.) Bonnie Raitt - "Luck Of The Draw" 6.) David Sanborn - "Upfront" 7.) Jude Cole - "Start The Car" 8.) Little Feat - "Let It Roll" 9.) Toto - "IV" 10.) Tower Of Power - "Tower Of Power"