Garnet Rogers

Every once in a while we get to host an artist that knowledgeable music lovers might characterize as "legendary." I'd put Tracy Grammer in that category. And Bill Staines. And now, Garnet Rogers. Watch the videos. Read the bio. Reserve your seats. This show is not to be missed.

Born in 1955, Garnet Rogers began his musical career in high school playing violin, flute, and guitar with his older brother, Stan Rogers. Upon finishing school in 1974, he and his brother formed a trio and went on to change the face of folk music in North America with their performances that left audiences breathless, records that to date have sold in the millions, and songs that have been sung and recorded by thousands around the globe.

Upon Stan's untimely death in 1983, Garnet set out on his own, forming, along with his parents, one of the very first independent record labels in North America, long before "Indies" became fashionable. To date, Garnet has written and recorded 18 highly acclaimed records; received a Juno nomination; and recorded either solo or with Grammy-nominated American folk icon Greg Brown, as well as legendary Scottish singer Archie Fisher (recently made a Member of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace). Garnet also authored and recently published a memoir called Night Drive, a wild, funny, and vulgar telling of his years on the road with his brother.

 Resolutely avoiding the mainstream music industry, Garnet has refused all offers from large record labels, with the exception of a "best-of" compilation done with the highly respected Minneapolis record label Red House Records, the largest independent roots music label in North America. His own record label and publishing company, Snow Goose Records, remains family-run.

Over the years Garnet has worked or appeared with artists such as the late Bill Morrissey (a Grammy-nominated writer, singer, and best-selling author), Mary Chapin Carpenter (five-time Grammy-winning singer), the late Guy Clark, Shawn Colvin, folk legends Judy Collins and Tom Paxton, acclaimed British producer Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois (fellow Canadian and noted producer for U2), Bluegrass legend Bill Monroe, Harry Connick Jr., and many others.

Venues where Garnet has played include the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington DC, Lincoln Center in New York City, and the Victoria Ballroom in Vancouver (as special musical guest in an evening honoring Nelson Mandela). As well, he has played at nearly every major music festival in North America, and hundreds of smaller concert halls and clubs around the continent, from Florida to the Yukon, Newfoundland to San Diego.

Garnet Rogers has been a guest on NPR shows All Things Considered, A Prairie Home Companion, Good Evening with Noah Adams, Fresh Air with Terry Gross; as well, he's appeared on West Virginia's Mountain Stage, CBC's As It Happens, The Vicki Gabereau show, "Q" with Tom Power, Morningside with Peter Gzowski, and Swinging on a Star with Murray Maclaughlan.

Garnet is to be the subject of a documentary in the coming year, intended to touch on the travels and travails that make up the story of his touring life. The documentary is to be directed by Jonathan Silvers, the noted filmmaker whose most recent three-part series, "Dead Reckoning: War, Crime, and Justice from WW2 to the War on Terror," was featured on PBS in spring 2017.