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Page %
THE BATTALION
'wing City meets the Twin Cities
ountry crooner Roger Brown sings the blues to Texas Hall of Fame crowd Friday night
By Hju arv Can t
The Battalion
Roger Brown shook up the Hall of Fame
Friday night with his fusion of country,
swing and big hand.
"file dean-cut. country crooner hung a
maroon Texu:> A&M Hag on the edge of the
Hall <H' Fame stage iur honor of his father,
who graduated from A&M in f949 and was
a Corps of Cadets commander.
“My dad would have been proud to see
me play here in Bryan,' 1 Brown said.
Brown performed with an abbreviated
hand because his regular touring hand was
plagued with medical emergencies. The au
dience did not seem to mind as they
two-stepped around the dance
floor while Brown cov
ered a selection oibougs
made popular by artists
from flank Williams to
Buck Owens.
Brown returned to
his home state.
Texas, in 1998 after
almost 20 years of
successful song writ
ing, in Nashville. He has
penned songs recorded by
George Strait, Randy Travis
and even Barbara Streisand. His
first big break came when Tanya
Tucker covered his song “Fool Pool
Heart” in the'80s.
But-Brow n, being a, native Texan, want
ed to return home.
“As long as I lived in Tenues,see, l always
T elt like a prodigal Texan, just waiting for the
right time to move home,” Brown said.
' Brown has joined the recent wave of al~
ternative-eountry artists like Roger Oeager
nd Bat Green, who are finding an audience
ithout the support of a major h bel Ofh n,
these artists are only eonsicfeiARl alteruative ;
because they do not fit in —
cutter country music played on the radio.
“When 1 was in Nashville, they were al
ways saying, ‘the radio is not going to play
that,’ ” Brown said, “But Pm just stubborn f*
guess, because I just keep doing it.” ■
Brown said lie has had bad luck with fail-1
ing recording labels. He recorded a 5-song CD'
• in' ; l^96-ealt^df5M7«^ Records.-'
just before it went belly up. The short a 1 bumf
was critically acclaimed, but Brown said it was j
unable to reach enough people because the la-~.
be! was not able to suppoi t the album. : 1
“it wtus like being a baseball player in the;;
minor leagues," Brown said. “Then, when you
finally gel your shot at the majors, you never/
even get up to bate*
Brown has recorded his first, full-length al
bum. Rodeo Booeje, and has released it on his
own label. Prairie Crooner Records. Brown is
touring Texas promoting .the new album and
playing in cities like San Angelo. Dallas and
his hometov/n ofMenard, Texas.
Rodeo Boogie features a 1 G-pieee band for
a full, rich western swinging sound. Brown's
self-taught rhythm guitar accompanies his
soft, smooth voice with just a hint of Texas
twang. Brown said his unusual combination
of various musical styles has meant that, he of
ten has to convince others that the combina
tion will work and appeal to a broad audience.
“My stuffs different, but that/s not to say
that it can t be mainstream," Brown said.
Brown describes hismuric as a mixture of
his favorite musical influences.
“Ifs Bob Wilis meets Duke Ellington.”
Brown said.
Brown said Texas is the perfect place to
play his music because Texas has such a great
musical heritage and the fans are open to new
things. He said Texans have embraced differ
ent musical styles horn Western swing toTe-
jano and Americana, so his style should fit in
here.
“Texas is like a country unto itself mu
sically.” Brown said. “People accept stuff
Vat might not be played in Nashville or
■Komia."
said he would love to play in other
Western states like Colorado, but, for now,
he is focusing on Texas, Oklahoma,
Arkansas and Louisiana.
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