Musicians On Tour

TAMMY ROGERS, MUSICIAN, CO-OWNER OF DEAD RECKONING RECORDS

The Texas home where Tammy Rogers grew up was filled with musical instru-

ments and sounds. "My dad always had bunches of instruments lying around the

house," she recalls. "My earliest memories are of my parents singing Porter [Wagoner]

and Dolly [Parton] songs." Piano was the first instrument she learned, later adding

mandolin to her repertoire. But at age ten, the violin became her passion. "It became

what I was all about. It was almost second nature, in a sense." She spent her teen years

performing around Texas in her father's bluegrass band, and won a full scholarship to

Southern Methodist University in Dallas as a classical violin major. She later trans-

ferred to Belmont University in Nashville to finish her degree. After graduation, she

moved to east Tennessee and played in a bluegrass band for a couple of years.

When a friend recommended her for a job playing fiddle and mandolin, and

singing harmony with Patty Loveless, Rogers was sure she would never be considered.

To her amazement, she was hired in 1990 and spent the next 14 months on the road.

"I was totally green. I had never played in a band with a drummer, never played in an

electric band. I had either played classical music or bluegrass." Ready for a new chal-

lenge, when Rogers was offered a gig with Trisha Yearwood, she accepted and spent

another 15 months on the road. Despite her enjoyment at working with both artists,

Rogers felt disappointed at not being asked to play on their records. (Nashville draws

a distinction between road and studio musicians.) She decided she wanted to have

her own work documented on recordings.

Once Rogers made the decision to actively pursue studio work, the calls started

coming in and she was quickly able to make the transition from road musician to

studio player. She spent much of her time in Los Angeles for the next two years,

playing on pop and alternative country recording sessions with artists like Maria

McKee, Victoria Williams, and Rosie Flores. Just when she was about to permanently

move to California in 1995, she began getting more work in Nashville, and was soon

recording with artists like Pam Tillis, Matraca Berg, and Neil Diamond. That same

year, Rogers and several musician friends formed the independent record label, Dead

Reckoning, to release music considered outside the Nashville mainstream. Since that

time, she has remained in demand for session work both in Nashville and Los

Angeles. www.deadreckoners.com/artists/tammy_rogers.html

BILLY THOMAS, MUSICIAN, SINGER

"I started my first band when I was 12," recalls Billy Thomas, whose first drum set

was a discard from his older brother. "I got the drum set out of the attic and started

playing it when I was 11." Thomas taught himself by playing along to Beatles and

Gene Krupa records, and learned to read music in the school band. Encouraged by

CASE STUDY:

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