David "Feet" Rogers
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David "Feet" Rogers | |
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| Born | 1935 Hawaii |
| Died | October 7, 1983 age of 48 Hawaii |
| Genres | Traditional Hawaiian Music |
| Instruments | Lap Steel Guitar, Rickenbacher Post-War BD6 |
David "Feet" Rogers was a Hawaiian lap steel guitar player and inductee into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2019.[1]
He was born in 1935[2] and grew up on the island of Oʻahu in the neighborhood of Kalihi.
Born into a highly regarded Hawaiian family of musicians, the Rogers, Feet's father was the well-known Hawaiian steel guitarist George "Pops" Rogers[3], and his uncle was the well known Benny Rogers[3], who played steel guitar for Genoa Keawe[4][3]. Furthermore, Feet's mentor was David Keli'i, the steel guitar player for the Internationally popular Hawaii Calls radio program[3]. Considered as one of the greatest Hawaiian steel guitar players to ever come from Hawai'i, David Keli'i was also a close friend of George "Pops" Rogers, Feet's father.
"Feet" got his nickname for playing tackle football in his bare feet with his local neighborhood friends.
Feet's steel guitar of choice was a 6 string post-war Rickenbacher Bakelite, model BD-6.
A master of touch and tone, Feet's style incorporated single note lines/melodies and oftentimes played his melodic lines all in harmonics/chimes with stunning accuracy, clarity, and beauty. Feet primarily played in his preferred D Major Triad tuning[3], choosing to focus on traditional Hawaiian music, rather than the swing oriented "Waikiki" style many of his contemporaries gravitated towards.
An original member of the Sons of Hawaii[2][3][4] band, featuring Gabby Pahinui[5] on Slack Key Guitar, Eddie Kamae on Ukulele, and Joe Marshall on Upright Bass, Feet left an undeniable impact with his signature fingerprint on the music of Hawai'i, forever being documented as part of grassroots traditional Hawaiian music DNA in many recordings. Eddie Kamae said that the steel enhanced the natural beauty of their music, made it distinctive at a time when steel was no longer popular.[4] Feet's music was a simple pure Hawaiian style always delicately played and beautifully expressed.[4]
Other than music, Feet worked as a merchant marine based out of Honolulu[4]. Sons of Hawaii did not perform when "Feet", a merchant seaman, was not in town, so great was their respect for his contribution to their sound.[4]
David "Feet" Rogers never charged for music lessons. In the true Hawaiian way, he used to say to his students "the only thing you need to pay, is attention."
Having never formed a formal teaching studio, students themselves sought Feet out and if he took a liking to them, he'd take them under his wing. Only three people can lay claim to Feet's personal tutelage: Ronald Kanahele who was Feet's cousin, Fred Lundt, and Bobby Ingano who is currently the steel guitar player for Taj Mahal.
Rogers family
Rogers came from a family of notable Hawaiian musicians.
- George Rogers, Father
- "Pops" Rogers was known as an "elder statesman of the Hawaiian steel guitar". A true master steel guitarist.[4] Played for Mormon Church activities, was very secretive about the tunings he used, even with his immediate family.[4]. He could be called one of the greatest of all steel players.[4] He was very religious and refused to play in many places.[4] He played many Mormon functions at La'ie and elsewhere.[4]
- Benny Rogers, Uncle
- Brother of George Rogers.[4] One of the great Rogers family of steel players.[4] Benny played for years in Honolulu and recorded steel on Genoa Keawe's now classic albums.[3] Played steel for Genoa Keawe for many years in the 1940's and 50's, played on almost all of her recordings until his death.[4] Benny's wife also played rhythm guitar and sang with Genoa.[4] Benny had a style typical of the Rogers family, very Hawaiian with excellent harmonics.[4]
Feet's Hawaiian Lap Steel Tuning
Feet's "unusual" D major tuning was only played by his family.[3]
"How we tune the steel," he said, "is kind of like a chant or a family song, you know. It belongs to us, and we have to take care of it, or else it will change like everything else. It's just like my steel, tool. It belongs to my father, and I never played one that has the same sound."[3]
When one begins to look more closely at the most significant bands of the Hawaiian renaissance, in fact, the steel guitar never entirely disappeared. On the landmark Sons of Hawaii records, it is actually a featured component; however, it sounds quite different from the style heard more commonly in those days on Hawaii Calls.[3]
When the band first formed as a 'ukulele, bass, and slack key guitar trio in 1960, the members quickly acknowledged the need for a steel player. The bass player [Joe Marshall] knew the perfect candidate, David "Feet" Rogers.[3]
What Feet rogers brought to the Sons of Hawaii recordings was his almost minimalist approach.[3]
As [Eddie] Kamae and his biographer reflected, "There is a busy, flashy way of playing steel that tries to fill each measure with as many notes as possible. Feet's music was the opposite of that. He had no desire to draw attention upon himself or be the star. He played with reserve and understatement, with an exquisite purity of tone.[3]
[Feet's] playing and his philosophical approach perfectly suited the accompaniment of Pahinui's slack key picking and ipu-pahu rhythms, and the exquisite subtleties of their vocal performances.[3]
One observer remarked, "The inclusion of the steel guitar at a time when it was no longer popular among the Hawaiian groups was what Kamae wanted." Kamae simply stated, "Hawaiian music without the steel is not really Hawaiian music."[3]
Death
David "Feet" Rogers passed away on October 7, 1983 at the age of 48.[2]
Notable recordings
- Sons of Hawaii
- Slack Key and Steel Guitar Vol 1
- Eddie Kamae and the Sons of Hawaii
- The Lanai Sessions
Notable achievements
- Feet is an Honoree and Inductee to the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame[1]
- Feet was selected as the featured steel guitar soloist on the National Geographic's "Music of the World Series" for Hawaii.[2][6]
Prominent member in the following notable ensembles
Original Member of Sons of Hawaii[2][7][8]
Maile Serenaders[4]
Film credits
- The History of the Sons of Hawaii[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Honorees » HMHOF". HMHOF. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "David Rogers, a member of the Sons of Hawaii... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 Troutman, John (2016). Kika Kila: How the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Changed the Sound of Modern Music (1st ed.). USA: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 206–225. ISBN 978-1469659091.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 Ruymar, Lorene (1996). The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and its Great Hawaiian Musicians (1st ed.). Anaheim, CA: Centerstream Publishing. pp. 88–106. ISBN 978-1574240214.
- ↑ "Hawaiian Music Collection - Pahinui, Gabby: Performer Biography · UHM Library Digital Image Collections". digital.library.manoa.hawaii.edu. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
- ↑ David Rogers- Hilo March, retrieved 2023-07-09
- ↑ "Honolulu Star-Bulletin Features". archives.starbulletin.com. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The History of the Sons of Hawaii, The Hawaiian Legacy Foundation, 2004-11-16, retrieved 2023-07-08
External links
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