Roger

Guitarist and singer-songwriter Roger "Hurricane" Wilson, from Atlanta, Georgia, made an impromptu trip to the UK. He hooked up with Terry Peaker, on bass, and Nigel Appleton, on drums, to play two nights at this late night blues bar near Olymppia; this one was election night.
The repetoire included standards and numbers from his fourth album, Live At The Stanhope House, on Bluestorm Records. A lyrical guitarist with a pleasing voice, Roger has that remarkable ability, he can play and sing at the same time. Two West London promoters were also in the audience so expect to see more of him! - Fran Leslie - Bluesprint Magazine

by Cam Hayden

If you like your blues hot with a little bit of rock thrown in-and a touch of spice in the form of dynamics-chef Roger "Hurricane" Wilson will be dishing it out all next week at Blues On Whyte in the Commercial Hotel.After a quarter century of playing at home and on the road, this Atlanta native has learned the value of a full and varied musical menu that still stays close to the basics, the blues. Wilson began playing guitar at age 9. After taking lessons for a while, he had a stack of books he could play from, but wasn't really interested in that. "I didn't concentrate much on what my teacher told me," Wilson said. "He didn't like that very much, but I guess basically I started pounding on the guitar, getting sounds I liked." In those days those sounds included bands like the Animals, the Stones,, Cream, and Paul Revere & The Raiders. (Hey, they covered a Muddy Waters tune.) Wilson moved to Atlanta at age 14 when the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, and Wet Willie were beginning to do their things. Music hasn't been the only staple in his life. His other love was broadcasting, which began in high school when he was working in the TV studio, and as part of the school band. In his first and second years of college he began to meet a lot of promoters and musicians in his broadcasting work and, as he put it, "It was like a whole amusement park of things out there for me. I spent 25 years in broadcasting. Being in Atlanta, home of Turner Broadcasting, led to jobs as a sports producer, DJ, and eventually as a newsroom producer for CNN. The balancing act continued and gave him a nickname along the way, "Hurricane". As Wilson told me, back when I was working as a broadcaster, I was still playing 200 dates a year. I'd leave work, go to the gig and play and try to come back early in the morning to work. I'd go out, make a mess, then leave real quick.My producer in the newsroom, who was also my bass player at the time, said it was just like a hurricane. Never one to stand still, Wilson spent 14 years teaching guitar to literally hundreds of students. I thought there might be a touch of irony there, considering what he put his own teacher through, and it wasn't lost on him. "I did try to teach the way I was taught at first, but then I decided to teach them whatever they wanted.I'd have students coming in with records that were so new the vinyl wasn't even dry yet, and I'd listen to them and help my students learn the songs. As with most creative people, Wilson continues to evolve and learn. His first CD, released in 1994 had a definite Southern Rock feel to it. His second CD, a live effort, was more in the blues/rock vein. His soon to be released 3rd CD is, as he said, "Half electric and half acoustic and it's more straight blues. I'm getting back to what it should be, the blues."His current road band is a trio and I asked him about working in that format. "There's not as many crazy people to put up with," he said with a laugh, "there's one less. Really it started out as a financial thing, but it does give me more room to play.I've been playing in trio so long that I've just learned to fill the holes and go with it. There's nothing to hide behind, everything that comes out is you and I try not to play too much, to leave some space, balance rhythm and lead aspects and not just have a barrage of noise." As far as Wilson is concerned, "The whole thing about keeping an audience's attention is dynamics, which is why I vary tones, volumes, and styles in the show. It sounds to me like a lesson that could be well be learned by numerous guitar-slingers on the scene today. Classes begin Monday night.

(Cam Hayden hosts the Friday Night Blues Party from 9pm - midnight and Alberta Morning from 6-9am weekdays on the CKUA Radio Network, 580 AM and 94.9 FM.) - Vue Weekly- Edmonton, Alberta

Live at the Stanhope House (Blue Storm Records) from Roger "Hurricane" Wilson, is a CD from a very accomplished guitarist playing live at the Stanhope House in New Jersey. The album features three original Roger Wilson tracks mixed in with eight very good cover versions, and there really isn't a bad track amongst them. Obviously some are stronger than others, but this trio of Roger Wilson, with Crazy Eddie Stilles on bass and David Junior Moore on drums, does credit to the originals in every case. The album opens with a great version of Roy Buchanan's "Short Fuse," an instrumental introduction to what this band is good at, and a good showcase for Roger Wilson's guitar playing. Right slap bang in the middle of the album is an incredible 15 minute demonstration of how Roger Wilson handles slide guitar, based around the old standard "Dust My Broom," but veering off on several different tangents. You only have to listen to this track to realize that this man knows how to handle himself with a blues guitar. Rather unusually, Wilson includes a version of Elvis Presley's "Little Sister" (written by Doc Pomus). It works, but it's probably the only (relatively) weak spot on the CD. From the three Roger Wilson originals, "Back Porch Blues" really stands out; this is instrumental blues as it should be. Tempo and mood changes and good playing by the band, and almost eight minutes of great blues. Out of the cover versions, I think it's a dead heat for me between "Short Fuse" and Buddy Guy's "Leave My Girl Alone." This is a CD worth having in any collection, by an artist who deserves a lot more recognition.--- Terry Clear
- Walla Walla Blues Society

Roger “Hurricane” Wilson earned his nickname honestly, but now with his home on wheels, he’s taking life a little slower. Music has been a part of Roger Wilson’s life for about as long as he can remember. “I started playing guitar at age 9. I high school school I was a drum major and played trumpet,” says Wilson. “As a young adult I was always into broadcasting, teaching and playing guitar and playing electric and acoustic blues, both.” Music was the big constant says the New Jersey native. He had other hobbies, but they had to fit around his passion. “I’ve always loved the outdoors, but camping wasn’t a big part of it. I went camping as a Boy Scout and would go away to summer camp,” says the 50-year- old full-time musician. Now as the owner of a Winnebago Brave SE, he still doesn’t consider himself much of a camper, merely someone who got tired of paying to sleep in motels and hotels as he traveled with his music. Of course, the 248,000 miles showing on his RV’s odometer and the transmission he recently replaced in his rig while in Norfolk, Nebraska, would beg to differ with his “novice camper” status. For most of the 30 years that Wilson’s been a professional musician, he’s also held down full-time non-music jobs. From 1986-96 he was with CNN and still managed to play 200 dates a year with his band. In fact, that’s where he got his nickname Hurricane. A co-worker noticed that Wilson was always rushing out after work to gigs and then rushing back just in time for work the next day. “He said I was like a hurricane,” says Wilson, “and the name stuck.” With 5 CD’s on the market and playing gigs with his band and also as a solo act, Hurricane has built up an impressive resume. He’s shared the stage with B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Roomful of Blues, Dickey Betts, Leon Russell, Edgar Winter, Snooky Pryor, Bobby Rush, W.C. Clark, Bernard Allison, and Walter Trout. But even a hurricane sometimes runs out of energy, and soon Wilson had to make ac choice between a 9-to-5 job and going fulltime with his music, whisch he did in 1996. “I got tired of trying to find a place to spend the night and also needed a way to get around the road economically,” he says. “I would see motorhomes on the road and I asked my wife Jolie to go and check some models.”
The Wilsons found just what they needed on John Bleakley’s Douglasville, GA., lot and that’s when the Wilson’s relationship with the Good Sam club started. “I started to get some mail from Good Sam,” says Wilson. “I’m not a guy that goes to RV rallies or joins chapters and don’t really use the campgrounds that much. But I use the other benefits. “There have been some road adventures where Good Sam’s RV Emergency Road Service has bailed me out,” he says. Hopefully Wilson won’t need to call on ERS very often as he continues to travel in the Brave, delivering his mix of blues and rock music fans throughout North America – often at campgrounds. If you get a chance, stop and listen. According to Chicago bluesman, Carl Weathersby, “Hurricane plays all kinds of guitar… all good!” Read more about this Good Sam Club member on his website at www.hurricanewilson.com.
- Higways RV Magazine-April, 2004