Roger Smith

There are at least two artists with the name Roger Smith. 1. Roger Smith was one of several guitarists, initially influenced by Derek Bailey, who appeared on the free improvisation scene around 1973. (Like some of the others, he actually studied with Bailey.) Although the influence was there, he found his own voice right from the start, as can be heard on his earliest recording to be published - the 1975 performance with the Three Pullovers (now available on Emanem 4038). Around that time, he became involved in some of John Stevens' larger groups, and shortly thereafter he joined the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in which he remained until Stevens' untimely death in 1994. 2. For a long time, many acts have benefited from the addition of Roger Smith on piano/keyboards. In the late 1990’s Roger put his sound together and hit Number One on the charts with his single “Off the Hook” Smith’s virtuosity is complimented by his diverse resume. He’s played with Jeff Beck, Glayds Knight, Willie Nelson, and Leon Russell, among others. At Present, Roger holds down the Hammond B-3 seat vacated by the formidable Chester Thompson with the legendary West Coast soul band Tower of Power, maintaining their signature sound with his expert organ play. As producer and composer, Smith pursues his artistic vision on behalf of the listener, bringing to the table the most capable players available to accomplish that vision. As in Roger brought in the Temptations to sing “I’ll always Love You” on his album “Just Enough”. In the tradition of Quincy Jones, Roger brings just the right talent to get the job done, be it having the luxury of using the Tower of Power horns for their brand of brass and reeds, or Smooth Jazz household names like Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, or Peter White for their particular sound. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.