Rogers Drums

Last updated
Rogers Drums
Company type Private
Industry Musical instruments
Founded1849;175 years ago (1849) in Farmingdale, NJ
FounderJoseph Rogers
FateMerged to Yamaha Corporation
Headquarters Covington, Ohio, U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Products Drum kits
Website rogersdrumsusa.com

Rogers Drums is an American multinational drum manufacturer. It was founded in 1849 and originally based in Covington, Ohio. During the twentieth century, their drums enjoyed popularity with musicians spanning from the Dixieland jazz era in the 1920s to classic rock in the 1960s and 1970s, but was particularly associated with big band and swing drummers of the 1940s and 1950s.

Contents

History

The Rogers company was started in 1849 by James Rogers, an Irish immigrant from Dublin to the United States. Rogers started crafting drum heads in Brewster’s Station, New York. A second tannery was established later in Farmingdale, New Jersey, operated by his son Joseph H. Rogers Junior. James Rogers' grandson Cleveland S. Rogers began to manufacture the first "Rogers" drums at the Farmingdale tannery in the 1930s. The first Rogers drums were assembled from shells and hardware of other manufacturers but mounted with Rogers heads.

In 1955, Cleveland Rogers, who had no heirs, sold the Rogers drum company to Henry Grossman. Grossman moved the company to Covington, Ohio, and under his leadership, Rogers moved to the forefront of American drum making for the next decade and a half. Design engineer Joe Thompson and marketing manager Ben Strauss were instrumental in Rogers' success during its golden age from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s. The company's drums were embraced by musicians from the Dixieland movement to the classic rockers of the 1960s and 1970s. However, the manufacturer was most closely associated with the "big band" and swing drummers of the 1940s and 1950s.

The Dyna-Sonic snare drum

Rogers' "Dyna-Sonic" snare drum featured a number of innovations, such as a unique cradle in which the snare wires were supported. [1] [2] This device provided a means by which the longitudinal tension of the snare wires could be adjusted independently of the vertical force holding the snares against the bottom head. As a result, the snares could be tensioned as tightly as the drummer wanted without having to pull the snares against the head so hard they constrained (choked) the head's vibration. This and other innovations (for example, a remarkably shallow—4/1000"—snare bed) made possible by the novel tensioning arrangement gave the drum a relatively crisp and recognizably clear sound. Dyna-Sonics were made from about 1961 until the mid-'80s. [3] The company was bought in 1966 by CBS Musical Instruments, [4] which had also acquired in 1965 Fender Guitars and Rhodes Pianos. The vast majority of Dyna-Sonics had COB (chrome over brass) shells. Only a small number of wood-shell Dyna-Sonics was made during the lifetime of the drum. Pristine models can fetch thousands of dollars on the vintage drum market. Other notable Rogers drums were the Powertone model of snare drums and the Holiday model of tom-toms and bass drums. Fiberglass timpani were also manufactured for a time, named Accu-Sonic.

In addition to its Dyna-Sonic snare drum, Rogers was renowned for its highly-innovative hardware. Much of it was developed by Thompson, including the Swiv-o-Matic line of bass drum pedals, hi-hats, cymbal stands, and tom-tom holders. The cymbal stands and tom-tom holders featured a ball-and-socket tilting mechanism. Even Ludwig drummers like Ringo Starr of The Beatles, [5] Mitch Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin used some Swiv-o-Matic hardware items on their kits. [6] Keith Moon used Swiv-o-Matic hardware on his Premier kit. [7]

Neil Peart of RUSH played a Rogers 5"x14" Rogers Dynasonic Snare on Fly by Night, Caress of Steel, 2112 and All The World's A Stage. [8] He also used Rogers hardware, specifically, a single Swiv-o-Matic tom holder on his large Slingerland and Tama drum kits through the mid-1980s in order to position a tom-tom directly over the center of one of his bass drums. [9]

From 1964 until 1975, Rogers shells were 5-ply construction of alternating plies of maple and birch wood with reinforcement rings. From late 1975 until 1978 the shells were made up of 5 alternating plies of maple and birch wood with reinforcement rings. Starting in 1978, Rogers began offering drums with 8-ply shells without reinforcement rings (made by Keller Products, Inc. of Manchester, NH) for its XP-8 line. They marked the beginning of relatively heavy, thick "stadium" shells that favored attack and projection over midrange tonality. These drums were promoted as "the best Rogers drums ever made" and the XP-8 models lived up to that claim.

1976 saw the introduction of "Memriloc" hardware. This innovation was co-developed by Dave Donoho and Roy Burns. It was the first of the super-stable hardware systems and was subsequently copied by most major drum manufacturers in one form or another. Most modern drum hardware evolved from the Rogers Memrilock concept. For the growing European market, Rogers drums were made in the UK by Ajax under license from Rogers USA. The hardware was Rogers, but the drum shells were supplied by Ajax from its UK production. Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five and Pete York of the Spencer Davis Group were prominent British drummers using Rogers equipment during that era; along with Mick Avory of the Kinks (before switching to Ludwig) and John Steel of The Animals (after switching from Premier).

Shortly after being purchased by CBS in 1966, Rogers drums moved its production in 1969 from Ohio to a Fullerton, CA factory complex, where the American Fender Guitars were also produced.

In 1983, CBS sold Rogers and Fender to a group of individuals who were running the Fender division; the new owners soon after decided to discontinue the Rogers Drums line. Between 1984 and 1998, the Rogers name was owned by Island Music, who manufactured low-cost copies of the famous Big R Rogers drums outside the US.

1998 to present day

In 1998, the Rogers name was acquired by the Brook Mays Music Company (BMMC) of Dallas, Texas. Jim Rosenthal, then VP Marketing for BMMC, identified the opportunity to purchase the name and revitalize the brand. BMMC began the brand as a low-cost, but high-quality import line of beginner drum sets that were sold exclusively through the company's own chain of music stores. The first kits were manufactured by Peace Drums of Taiwan. The drums sold successfully because many drummers (especially younger ones) wanted Rogers kits and the kits were excellent value. Bill Crowden, son-in-law of Bill Ludwig, was working for BMMC at the time and was brought in to the Dallas office to run Rogers. Together with Jim Rosenthal, they developed the line, using the names of Rogers kits and drums from the '60s. A high-quality line of kits emerged that included maple and birch shells with beavertail lugs and modern double-braced hardware. Sales of Rogers kits across the board for BMMC were extremely successful.[ citation needed ]

However, in the summer of 2006, BMMC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. On August 26, 2006, the Yamaha Corporation of America announced that it had acquired the intellectual property rights to the Rogers Drum Company at the BMMC bankruptcy court-ordered auction. "Opportunities to acquire a well-respected brand that is so treasured by players do not come along every day," said Tom Sumner, Vice President and General Manager of Yamaha's Pro Audio & Combo Division. "We will use our expertise to improve on the Rogers legacy." [10] Yamaha displayed its new Rogers drums at winter NAMM 2007. [11]

In 2013, the rights to Rogers drums were acquired by Joseph Chen, then the president of Dixon Drums. In 2017, Rogers was revived as a manufacturer of high-end handcrafted snare drums, utilizing many of the familiar hardware designs from the 1950s and 1960s. [12] They have reissued a 5-ply maple version of the "Dyna-Sonic" snare drum featuring the "Clock Face" double-rail snare straining device and re-engineered "Bread and Butter" lugs.

Players

The following players used Rogers drums in whole, or part:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Peart</span> Canadian and American drummer (1952–2020)

Neil Ellwood Peart was a Canadian and American musician, known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. He was known to fans by the nickname 'The Professor', derived from the Gilligan's Island character of the same name. His drumming was renowned for its technical proficiency and his live performances for their exacting nature and stamina. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an induction into the Modern Drummer Readers Poll Hall of Fame in 1983 at the age of thirty, making him the youngest person ever so honoured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snare drum</span> Type of percussion instrument

The snare drum is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used in orchestras, concert bands, marching bands, parades, drumlines, drum corps, and more. It is one of the central pieces in a drum set, a collection of percussion instruments designed to be played by a seated drummer and used in many genres of music. Because basic rhythms are very easy to learn to play on a snare drum even for children, the instrument is also suitable for the music education for young children and a rhythm band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Chamberlin</span> American drummer and record producer

James Joseph Chamberlin is an American drummer and record producer. Described as "one of the most powerful drummers in rock," he is best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. Following the 2000 breakup of the band, Chamberlin joined Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan in the supergroup Zwan and also formed his own group, the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex, of which he is still currently active. In late 2005, Chamberlin joined Corgan in reforming Smashing Pumpkins; he eventually left the group in March 2009, though he returned again in 2015 for a summer tour, and has officially performed with the band since then. Following guitarist Jeff Schroeder's departure in October 2023, Chamberlin is the band's second-longest serving member. He also performed in the group Skysaw until 2012 and joined Chicago jazz saxophonist Frank Catalano for a string of 2013–15 performances in the Chicago area. An EP by Catalano and Chamberlin Love Supreme Collective was released on July 29, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl Drums</span> Japanese percussion instrument company

Pearl Musical Instrument Company, simply known as Pearl, is a multinational corporation based in Japan with a wide range of products, predominantly percussion instruments.

Slingerland is a United States manufacturer of drums. The company was founded in 1912 and enjoyed several decades of prominence in the industry before the 1980s. After ceasing operation in the early 1980s, Slingerland was acquired by Gibson, who briefly revived it and owned it until November 2019, before selling Slingerland to DW Drums, who announced the intention of re-launching the brand. Slingerland is strongly associated with jazz drummers, such as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, who played signature instruments made by the company. Although primarily known for its drums, in the 1930s Slingerland also produced electric and acoustic guitars, violins, mandolins, banjos and ukuleles.

Brady Drum Company was an Australian manufacturing company who specialised in handcrafted drums since 1980. The designs and workmanship was predominantly the duty of the company's creator, Chris Brady. The firm used native Australian hardwoods, particularly jarrah, sheoak, spotted gum, marri, wandoo and lemon scented gum for the drums they manufactured. The business was based in Armadale, an outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carter Beauford</span> American drummer

Carter Anthony Beauford is an American drummer, percussionist, and founding member of Dave Matthews Band. He is known for his ability to adapt to a variety of genres, and both his ambidextrous and his open-handed drumming styles. He plays the drums and sings backing vocals in the band. Beauford was ranked number 10 by a Rolling Stone magazine reader's poll in 2010 for greatest drummers of all-time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Drums and Percussion</span> American drum manufacturer

Pacific Drums and Percussion is a musical instrument brand established by the Drum Workshop Inc., in 1999, with the purpose of providing its percussion instruments at more affordable prices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remo</span> American musical instrument company

Remo Inc. is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based in Valencia, California, and founded by Remo Belli in 1957. Products manufactured include drum kits, drumheads, drums, and hardware, and various percussion instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Burrows</span> Drummer and percussionist

Jeffrey John Burrows is the drummer and percussionist for Canadian rock band Crash Karma, and The Tea Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mapex Drums</span> Taiwanese musical instrument manufacturer

Mapex Drums is a Taiwanese brand of musical instruments established by KHS Musical Instruments in 1989. Instruments manufactured with the "Mapex" name include drum kits, snare drums and hardware.

ddrum is an American based Swedish company, currently a division of Armadillo Enterprises, Inc. that manufactures acoustic drum sets, electronic drum sets, and Electronic Triggers.

Malignant Narcissism is an instrumental track from Rush's 2007 album Snakes & Arrows. "Malignant Narcissism" was nominated for a 2008 Grammy under the category of Best Rock Instrumental Performance, Rush's fifth nomination in said category. However, the song lost to Bruce Springsteen's "Once Upon a Time in the West" making it their fifth defeat in that category.

Noble & Cooley is an American musical instruments manufacturing company based out of Granville, Massachusetts. Having been established in 1854, it is the oldest drum company in the United States and is one of the oldest in the world. Having manufactured toy drums at the beginning, Noble & Cooley soon entered the professional drum market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camco Drum Company</span> Brand of musical instruments

The Camco Drum Company is a musical instrument brand currently owned by Japanese company Hoshino Gakki. Camco was originally a drum hardware manufacturing company which began producing drums after a hostile takeover of the George H. Way drum company in 1961. Camco was active until its closure in 1977, with its assets purchased by Drum Workshop while Hoshino Gakki took over rights over the Camco name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayotte Drums</span> Canadian drum manufacturer

Ayotte Drums, were a drum manufacturer based in Bedford, Quebec was founded by Ray Ayotte in 1974, and has been manufacturing drums since 1982. Their drums feature wooden hoops, made of Canadian maple. The drums are also known for their Tune-Lock tensioning system, which both protects the drums' tuning, and provides a quick-release when changing drum heads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drum hardware</span>

Drum hardware is the set of parts of a drum or drum kit that are used to tension, position, and otherwise support the instruments themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom drum</span> Cylindrical drum

A tom drum is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century. Most toms range in size between 6 and 20 inches in diameter, though floor toms can go as large as 24 inches (61 cm).

Walberg and Auge is a United States drum kit and hardware manufacturer established in 1903 in Worcester, Massachusetts by Barney Walberg. Walberg and Auge is considered by some to be, "the biggest unknown name in the history of twentieth-century American percussion." The brand is credited with several innovations in musical instruments and associated hardware including the development of the modern hi-hat stand and shell-mounted tom-tom holder. The magazine Modern Drummer detailed the origin story of the modern hi-hat configuration: "After months of experimenting, Walberg's company extended the inner rod and outer tube of his low hat stand to about waist high so he could play the cymbals with his hand as well as his feet." The pivotal innovation was sold by every major drum company under the rubric "Perfection Hats."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craviotto drums</span>

Craviotto Drums is a drum kit manufacturing company, based in Nashville, Tennessee.

References

  1. ↑ "Vintage View - Rogers Dynasonic". 12 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 "History of the Snare Drum". 6 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Rogers Dyna-Sonic Wood Shell Snare Drum Reissue Review". www.drumcenternh.com.
  4. ↑ Reckert, Clare M. (5 April 1966). "C.B.S. MAKES DEAL FOR ROGERS DRUMS; Musical Instrument Maker Third Bought by Network". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ "1964 Ludwig Downbeat | Gary Astridge Historian".
  6. ↑ "Hardware - Swiv-o-Matic". English Rogers Drums. 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "The Evolution of the Modern Drum Kit".
  8. ↑ "Neil Peart's All the World's a Stage drums". andrewolson.com.
  9. ↑ "Neil Peart Ask a Pro - May 1982". andrewolson.com.
  10. ↑ "Yamaha Acquires Intellectual Property Rights To Rogers Drums - Yamaha - United States". usa.yamaha.com.
  11. ↑ "Rogers Drums reintroduction at NAMM 2007".
  12. ↑ "There's a Little Pork Pie Flavor in Every New Rogers Drum". 10 August 2018.
  13. 1 2 http://englishrogersdrums.co.uk/Photos%20Famous%20players.html
  14. ↑ http://englishrogersdrums.co.uk/1M%20Pictorial.html
  15. ↑ Flans, Robyn. "Mick Fleetwood - The Power of Fleetwood Mac". Modern Drummer. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Earl Palmer". 25 October 2016.
  17. ↑ Drummer, Modern (28 December 2011). "Marky Ramone: Punk Legend". Modern Drummer Magazine.
  18. ↑ "8 Drummers and the Kits that Changed the World". 17 December 2015.
  19. ↑ "Neil Peart Fly by Night drums".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.