Product Description
RELEASE DATE: MARCH 10, 2026 - ROY ROGERS - THE SKY'S THE LIMIT
Reviewed in Blues Music Magazine Issue #49 April 2026
ROY ROGERS
The Sky’s The Limit
Chops Not Chaps Music
In 1978 – with my freshly-minted journalism degree (University of Kansas), my beat-up car, no job prospects, and almost no money – I moved to San Francisco and in with my friend Steve. Ahh youth! The car opened a new world for my wheelless Mission District roommate. He immediately wanted to go to Blakes in Berkeley, down the street from the University of California. Who was playing? Did you guess Roy Rogers?
Individual notes and tunes are long forgotten, but I remember being incredibly impressed by Rogers. His intensity and artistry were palpable. Rogers’ ruthless picking and slide attacks made me feel bad for his guitars, but it produced a dazzling sonic exhibition. Now, 48 years later, we’re both turning 75. He’s still playing guitar. And I’m still assembling nouns, verbs, and modifiers!
Rogers’ acclaimed skills on guitar, featuring blazing slide, tell only part of his story. He spent a decade with John Lee Hooker, and later produced Hooker’s excellent albums, including Grammy-winning The Healer – one of eight Grammy nods Rogers has collected. Since 1986, he’s released many solo albums and been co-star or a major collaborator on 12 others – with Hooker, Santana, Raitt, Toussaint, Norton Buffalo, Ronstadt, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and others. Rogers also writes film soundtracks and commercials.
This 34-minute, ten-song effort is delivered using Rogers’ regular backline – Steve Ehrmann on bass and Kevin Hayes on drums, a.k.a. the Delta Rhythm Kings. They’re augmented expertly by keyboard master Jim Pugh (Robert Cray, Greaseland, Little Village). Rogers handles all the vocals. Nine songs are originals, with one cover, the Rolling Stones’ “The Last Time.”
Rogers’ skills are conspicuous throughout, but his frenetic slide and picking take a back seat to the lyrics, rhythms, and tempos here. Yes, loads of slick picking, but it’s tasty, less fiery. The approach is more cerebral and introspective, including catchy hooks, smart rhymes, and thoughtful perspectives. Several tunes address the passing of time, including “My Dreams Come Back” and “Those Bygone Days,” a mid-tempo rocker centered around a ripped-up photograph. “I Would Undo Anything,” sadly recounts the demise of a true love, because of the singer’s infidelity. The toe-tapping, topical “Just Dodgin’ Bullets” describes the sad reality we’re all facing now days. “You’re The One And Only” and “There Ain’t No Going Back For Me” portray a rosier picture. “He’s A Legend (In His Own Mind)” is a jumping, satirical look at the masqueraders among us.
This is a good album, perfectly performed by seasoned musicians. The lyrics and the scenes they paint are first rate.
– Dan D. Harrell