Singer-songwriter Paul Rodgers’ career spans decades. From the early days fronting seminal English rock band Free when a young Rodgers, barely out of his teens, first growled his way through the now-classic rock staple “All Right Now” all the way to the new millennium when this dynamic vocalist toured with the remaining members of Queen, Rodgers’ soulful voice has been the soundtrack of a generation. His distinctive vocals are the emotive force behind perennial hits like Bad Company’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love”, “Rock and Roll Fantasy” and “Can’t Get Enough”, as well as The Firm’s “Radioactive”. On Thursday Nov. 13, Rodgers is back at The Joint in Tulsa’s Hard Rock Casino for a fan-pleasing evening of music featuring songs from every decade of his career.
Rodgers is pleased to be returning to Tulsa and The Joint. “I play a lot of venues, and the ones I like, I return to,” he said. “The Joint is really one of those. I like everything about it. The venue, the fans who know how to have a good time, and the staff are great.” Rodgers’ wife Cynthia noted that Rodgers and his band only play about 20 to 30 shows internationally a year. The Tulsa concert is the last one for 2014.
Although the performance is billed as “Paul Rodgers”, it’s not a solo show. “It’s a rock show,” Rodgers commented. “We’re full on, and we play things like ‘Making Love’, ‘Bad Company’, ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love’, ‘Shooting Star’, ‘All Right Now’, and I may throw in, say, ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’ from the Royal Sessions album.”
Royal Sessions was released in 2013. The album is a collection of covers of classic soul and R&B songs recorded at Memphis’ iconic Royal Studios, one-time home of Hi Records and noted record producer Willie Mitchell. Al Green, Chuck Berry, Ike & Tina Turner, and many more musical greats have graced the studio over the years, and Rodgers, a life-long fan of that Memphis sound, was thrilled to follow in their footsteps.
“I had a blast with it,” Rodgers says of recording in Royal Studios. “It’s one of the few analog studios. It’s still as it was in the 50s and 60s when they had Al Green and Albert King and all those greats playing.”
Recording this album in the same studio where his own music idols once recorded was meaningful for Rodgers. “When I listened to that music as a kid, I’d wondered what room they were in and how it felt, who was where. And to be in that same room…was just mind blowing to me because I was just a school kid when I heard that music, so I almost felt intimidated, actually, a little bit.”
At 64, Rodgers is fit, with a voice that seems undiminished by his long years on the road. Energetic, upbeat and hardworking, Rodgers has managed to avoid the numerous pitfalls that have plagued the lives of so many of his musical contemporaries. “In my youth, like every kid growing up, you take everything for granted,” he said. “But I did wake up one day and suddenly think, ‘you know, I got to really watch it’…It’s more than just your voice, you have to look after your whole body. I think, really, your whole body is involved in the process of singing.”
Rodgers believes his love of soul and blues music may have helped to preserve his voice. “I think being influenced by blues and soul is part of the reason I’m actually still singing. They have a way of breathing. I mean, I copied Otis Redding and John Lee Hooker like mad,” Rodgers laughed. “Everything they did, I wanted to do, and in the process, I think there’s a way of breathing. I think that’s part of it. There’s a way of expressing. It’s not like I’m showing you, ‘oh, I’ve got a great voice.’ It’s not about that. It’s about ‘listen to this feeling,’ you know what I mean? That’s what I loved about blues and soul. They weren’t demonstrating their great singing ability. They were expressing an emotion and delivering it, and that’s what hit me…You’re expressing something to people that they can relate to.”
Rodgers is backed by some impressive musicians on this tour. “I’ve got a fantastic band,” he commented. “On guitar, I’ve got Howard Leese, who was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of Heart. He’s been with me in my solo band now for some fifteen years, and so we have a lot of music between us and a lot of shows and a lot of real understanding on stage. I have bassist Todd Ronning and Rick Fedyk on drums, who are just a powerhouse rhythm section. I mean I love playing with these guys because they really, really slam it down.”
For more information on Rodgers, visit his website.
