Mighty Mo Rodgers
| Mighty Mo Rodgers | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Maurice Rodgers |
| Born |
July 24, 1942 East Chicago, Indiana, United States |
| Genres | Electric blues[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards |
| Years active | Mid 1960s–present |
| Labels | Various including Blue Thumb |
| Website | Official website |
Mighty Mo Rodgers (born July 24, 1942)[2] is an American electric blues musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, who has released six albums to date.[1] He has been influenced by the work of Aretha Franklin, Bobby Bland, Eddie Boyd, Jimmy Reed, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Willie Dixon.[3]
Bonnie Riatt noted that "Mo Rodgers' music is a breath of fresh air in the blues/R&B world. He combines sly social commentary with a great funky sound...I love his voice. He's a welcome original."[4]
Biography
Maurice Rodgers was born in East Chicago, Indiana, United States,[1]
He studied classical piano, but was more influenced by witnessing the blues acts that performed at his father's nightclub. In the mid 1960s, the music produced by the American record label, Stax, also affected his musical ambitions. In high school, Rodgers formed his first band known as the Rocketeers. After entering Indiana State College, he fronted the Maurice Rodgers Combo. His love of playing keyboards led Rodgers to leave college and relocate to Los Angeles, California, becoming a full-time musician.[1]
He played the Farfisa electric organ on Brenton Wood's 1967 hit, "Gimme Little Sign".[1][5][6]
In 1973, Rodgers co-produced the album Sonny & Brownie (A&M Records) by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.[5] He also played keyboards on the album's cut.[1] Following a spell as a session musician, Rodgers moved into song writing where he penned songs for both Motown and Chappell & Co. He also worked as a record producer before returning to education and obtaining a philosophy degree from California State University, Northridge.[7] His first solo album was released in 1999 by Blue Thumb Records. Blues Is My Wailin' Wall included Rodgers' philosophical views on mankind in several of the songs lyrics.[1]
In 2000, Rodgers performed at the Notodden Blues Festival. His European excursions have included concerts at the New Morning nightclub in Paris. In 2001, Rodgers performed on the album Memphis recorded by Jean-Jacques Milteau, which also included contributions from Little Milton and Mighty Sam McClain.[8] His own recordings continued with Red, White & Blues (2002), Black Paris Blues a live album issued in 2004, and Redneck Blues (2007). His most recent release was Cadillac Jack in 2012.[9]
Rodgers is due to appear at the 22nd Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival in August 2014.[10]
Awards
- W.C. Handy Award nomination (1999) for Blues Is My Wailin' Wall
- Chic De L' Annee (1999) (France) as Blues Album of the Year for Blues Is My Wailin' Wall
- Contemporary Blues Album of the Year (2002) by Living Blues for Red, White & Blues
- Académie Charles Cros (Grand Prix du Disque) (2002) for Red, White & Blues
- Trophees France Blues (2001) and (2002) International Artist
- Trophees France Blues (2003) International Songwriter
- Chic De L'Annee (2007) Blues Album of the Year for Redneck Blues[5]
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Record label |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Blues Is My Wailin' Wall[11] | Blue Thumb |
| 2002 | Red, White & Blues[12] | Blue Thumb |
| 2004 | Black Paris Blues[13] | Isabel |
| 2007 | Redneck Blues[14] | DixieFrog |
| 2009 | Dispatches from the Moon[15] | DixieFrog |
| 2012 | Cadillac Jack[7] | Waterfront |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Al Campbell. "Mighty Mo Rodgers | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "About Mighty Mo Rodgers". Sonicbids.com. July 24, 1942. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Mighty Mo Rodgers | Similar Artists, Influenced By, Followers". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Mighty Mo Rodgers Official Website". Bignoisenow.com. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Mighty Mo Rodgers Bio Page". Mightymorodgers.com. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Mighty Mo Rodgers". Soulbluesmusic.com. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- 1 2 Limnios, Michalis (July 27, 2012). "Mighty Mo Rodgers, a blues poet philosopher: Socrates laid down some real good Blues "know thyself"". Blues.Gr. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Memphis – Jean-Jacques Milteau | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- 1 2 "Mighty Mo Rodgers | Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Mighty Mo Rodgers : Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival / Music / Canadian / International / World / Family Event". Rootsandblues.ca. April 4, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Mighty Mo Rodgers: Blues Is My Wailin' Wall". Allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "musicmatters Mighty Mo Rogers". Mumaprod.com. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Black Paris Blues (Live) – Mighty Mo Rodgers – Listen and discover music at". Last.fm. November 26, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Mighty Mo Rodgers – Redneck Blues". Bluesweb.com. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Dispatches from the Moon: Mighty Mo Rodgers: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. May 5, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2014.