While growing up on a farm outside of St. Louis, Roger Guth knew that playing music would be an integral part of his life. Roger remembers helping out his father’s little wedding band by playing drums in local VFW halls as a ten year old, but also remembers the band having to bring along a drum machine just in case he fell asleep. By the time Roger entered his teens, he had already built a strong foundation as both a drummer and pianist. This would prove to be a stepping-stone that would help him in reaching his ultimate goal of being the outstanding musician/songwriter that he is today.
Some of Roger’s early influences in music came by listening to great jazz performers such as Elvin Jones and Buddy Rich, and then later by listening to some of the black jazz musicians of the time. Roger was inspired by many people to not only write music, but use his unique vocal ability as well. Elliot Scheiner had heard Roger’s vocals on some demos and thought that there was something special there. Over a period of time, Roger began writing music that he knew he would not only record, but sing as well. The results of this work came early in 1998 with the release of Roger’s first CD, simply titled Scotch. The clever, humorous, and heartfelt songs from the CD have taken people by surprise, resulting in a whole new respect for this musician as fans are now requesting to hear him sing “Blue Guitar” while playing at Island Fest and Peter Mayer shows.
