Rogers ain't no Jessica Biel

Rogers shares his humble upbringing and rise to fame in the genre.

By Jess Camp

Published April 8, 2008

Randy Rogers, of Randy Rogers Band, has his videos played on CMT and belongs to a major country label. But while on a break from his tour, instead of hiring a personal chef to help him, he pops a brisket into the oven of his house in Texas and just chills.

Rogers took a mini-vacation from his tour to spend time with his family. Even though he misses his wife when he’s away, he says that it feels weird when he’s back in town and usually doesn’t really know what to do with himself.

“I’ve been touring for a long time,” he said. “It’s the eight year anniversary for this band, but I’ve been on the road for the past ten years. It’s a lifestyle that you get accustomed to. Being back home is weird and having to be idle is odd, too.”

The life of country stars is often not as talked about as is the life of a rock star. You know every rock star who has gone on a crazy drug binge, or who has snorted his dead father’s ashes, but no one ever hears anything about the country industry’s party scene.

“We all do our fair share of partying,” Rogers said. “In country music the drug culture isn’t prevalent, but we can drink with the best of them. The key to business is longevity — keep yourself in check.”

Rogers certainly has the longevity part going for him. He has enjoyed writing and recording music ever since he was a youngster.

“I’ve been really into music since I was five or six, so I don’t think that becoming a musician was a shock,” Rogers said. “I still got my degree and went to college, and that was a big deal.”

Although he has been a performer for a long time, he still gets a little nervous before each performance.

“I still get butterflies,” Rogers said. “If I ever lose that, then I need to move on and do other things.”

Growing up with a father who was a preacher, it’s a wonder that Rogers didn’t rebel like Jessica Biel’s character on “7th Heaven.”

“My dad was very strict, so I didn’t have an opportunity to rebel,” Rogers said. “I never got in trouble or anything, but when I turned 16 or 17 I started forcing my will on my parents.”

Coming from a religious background, Rogers strayed from heading into Christian rock music.

“I think that growing up in Texas makes it a little hard to be rock ‘n' roll, but when I was 14 and 15 I was in a garage rock band,” Rogers said.

Perhaps it’s a good thing that he decided to take the country music route, because his songs, such as “One More Goodbye” and “Kiss Me In The Dark,” have gotten a lot of radio and television play.

He remembers that he was driving around when he heard himself on the radio for the first time.

“I pulled over and got out and started screaming,” he said.

Though it’s exciting for Rogers to have his music videos be seen around the world, it feels different to actually see himself rather than just hear his voice.

“Seeing myself on TV is just weird,” Rogers said.