Roger Hoover

Songwriter Roger Hoover photographed by Nate Burrell
Roger Hoover
Born (1978-12-07) December 7, 1978
St. Petersburg, Florida, United States
Origin Akron, Ohio
Genres Americana, blues, folk
Occupation(s) Songwriter, guitarist, singer
Years active 2001–present
Labels Hayfever Records
Bandaloop Records
Last Chance Records
Associated acts Hayes Carll, Tom Waits, Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams
Website www.rogerhoover.comwww.lastchancerecords.com
Notable instruments
Slide guitar

Roger Hoover (born December 7, 1978) is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from Kent, Ohio. He has been backed by the Whiskeyhounds, the Magpies and the Hurt.

Early life

Hoover was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, the son of Roger Lee Hoover and Kimberly Ann Hoover (née Vaughn). Hoover's father was an amateur boxer and printmaker, his mother was a secretary. When he was a baby they moved back to their home state of Ohio and settled in Barberton, Ohio.

When Hoover was 12 years old he started playing the guitar. He learned to play by listening to his father's record collection. At 15, Hoover would travel to Kent, OH to perform at Brady's Coffee alongside seasoned musicians Patrick Sweany, Eric Noden, and Andy Cohen.[1] Hoover didn't begin writing songs until 2003, shortly after his father died.[2] His first collections of songs, Golden Gloves, was dedicated to and inspired by his father.

Career

Roger Hoover first gained prominence in the early 2000s as the songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the Whiskeyhounds. His first collection of songs, Golden Gloves was released in 2001 on Hayfever Records. In 2003, Hoover and the Whiskeyhounds' follow-up release Panic Blues was picked up by Columbus-based Bandaloop Records. Upon release from Bandaloop Records in 2005 drummer Dave McKean (GC5) and bassist Doug McKean (GC5) were added and began recording a follow up to Panic Blues.

Hoover's third and final album with the Whiskeyhounds, Jukebox Manifesto, was self-released in 2006. Engineered and produced by Ryan Foltz (Dropkick Murphys), Jukebox Manifesto captured Hoover and the Whiskeyhounds, in usual raucous form. Featuring lap steel (Freddy Hill), accordion/keyboards (Justin Gorski), and violin (Chris Yohn), Jukebox Manifesto received critical acclaim. According to Arkansas Times, Jukebox Manifesto was "one of the finest roots records since Ryan Adams' “Heartbreaker” or Gillian Welch's “Time: The Revelator.”[3]

Roger Hoover then released Eastern Standard Time in 2009,[4] Strangers, a collection of earlier recorded material, both produced and engineered again by Ryan Foltz. Last Chance Records released Live at the White Water Tavern (2011) featuring Hoover backed by the Magpies.

Following a brief break from music, Hoover assembled a backing band known as 'The Hurt' (Kevin Walters- Bass, BJ Barbieri - Drums, Daniel Holmes - Guitar) and released "Lay My Rituals Down," the much anticipated follow-up to Eastern Standard Time in 2012. In October 2012, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio invited Hoover to perform songs from the archives and donate his manuscripts to their collection.[5]

Hoover continued to perform both solo and with the Hurt until early 2016. Following a successful Kickstarter campaign,[6] Hoover recorded a new album entitled "Pastures of Plenty" in January 2016, which is expected to be released later in the year. Hoover also established a new live touring band. In February 2016 Hoover signed a new recording contract with Little Rock, Arkansas-based Last Chance Records.

Performance style

He is often described as writing "gritty Americana",[7] "folk ballads",[8] or "alt-country",[9][10] and compared to artists like Tom Waits,[11] Bruce Springsteen[12] and Gillian Welch.[13]

Discography

Studio Albums

Live Albums

EPs

References

  1. ↑ http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2015/06/29/local-singer-songwriter-roger-hoover-to-play-residency-at-kents-venice-cafe
  2. ↑ http://wcpn.ideastream.org/programs/sound-of-applause/roger-hoover-and-whiskeyhounds
  3. ↑ Clement, Davis. "America, meet your roots". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
  4. ↑ http://blog.cleveland.com/localbands/2008/05/the_magpies_pick_up_where_the.html
  5. ↑ http://rockhall.com/event/rock-hall-celebrates-american/
  6. ↑ http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20151001/NEWS/150939979/off-the-clock-things-to-do-in-and-around-akron
  7. ↑ http://nodepression.com/article/neo-music-scene-has-major-league-talent
  8. ↑ http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/perfect-strangers/Content?oid=1650668
  9. ↑ http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/roger-hoover-and-the-whiskeyhounds/Content?oid=1484036
  10. ↑ http://insurgentcountry.net/artists.htm
  11. ↑ http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/roger-hoover-and-the-whiskeyhounds/Content?oid=1497003
  12. ↑ http://www.houstonpress.com/music/aftermath-the-magpies-and-sideshow-tramps-at-the-continental-club-6503964
  13. ↑ Clement, Davis. "America, meet your roots". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2015-06-01.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.