Before there was rock, there was rock n’ roll. Reaching back further, it was rhythm and blues and the source of it all—delta blues, jump blues, boogie woogie—the blues. Before that? Listen carefully… 

There’s a musician, a member of the Quinault Tribe in the Northwest living in  Albuquerque, who reaches back, way way back, when he creates his unique brand of music reminiscent of Robert Johnson, an everyman voice like Dylan’s and Stevie Ray Vaughn guitar licks.  

Welcome to Roger Cultee’s School of Rock. 

Roger Cultee plays one mean guitar; but don’t take my word for it. Since the 1970’s, he’s been a session musician for some of the best including Robbie Robertson and performed throughout the world combining Indigenous music to contemporary sounds creating what he calls “Red Rock.”  

Is it the blues? Or is it something else? 

“I wanted to go out on my own, create my own school of rock,” Roger says. “That’s why I went further than studying this month’s Britney Spears. I didn’t just want to follow the river; so to speak, I actually decided to go where the river is coming out of the ground. To the direct source.” 

“That source,” he continues, “is the blues, coming out of the 20’s and 30’s all the way back to the field blues, like Robert Johnson—all the older generation guys. Every blues song is an Indian song; that’s my belief…The black man borrowed from the Indians the four-four beat because they were doing their poly-rhythm. So put together the poly-rhythm with a four-four beat, which is purely Indian, and you got your modern music. That’s why blues is an Indigenous musical form of America."

It’s the stripped down “to the source” influence you hear in every song Roger writes, whether playing classic blues, or contemporary rock and alternative songs like Peristroika.  Raw, powerful and like the best of rock and roll—for the people and by the people. 

“Red rock, as I call it, is for us Native bands; the underdogs. We play our music and people just get jumpy and have a good time. Move over rover and let the rez dog take over.” 

But one of his frustrations is that contemporary Native music has become too “tourist friendly,” meaning it is industry created for an amorphous mass market. Too far from the source, too far from the people it’s supposed to represent. That, plus the clichéd but oh-so-truism how many young musicians are in it primarily for the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll lifestyle. 

“I play for the love of the music—not to be a rock star, not to pick up girls, not to go to parties. Yeah, I had to go that route, the parties and the girls,” he laughs. “But, to tell you the truth, eventually it was the music that got me OUT of the parties.” 

So Roger cleaned up his act, cleaned up his life and went back. Back to the source. He studied music, he played and  practiced and got better and better. He went to college, earning two bachelor’s degrees in Creative Writing and Fine Arts, and today is a silversmith noted for incorporating Southwest jewelry techniques with Northwest Coast designs. 

And musically? Roger Cultee is doing what he loves. He’s seeking a label and management, but the lack of that hasn’t dissuaded him from producing his first CD, which has sold out its first printing.  Maybe not tourist friendly; but the tourists are likin’ what they’re hearing nonetheless. 

And true to his generous soul, Roger is sharing with us several cuts. Rock. Rock n’ roll. Rhythm and Blues. Red Rock. It’s good; it’s real, and it ain’t this week’s Britney Spears. Promise… 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I know. It’s only rock n-roll. But you’ll like it. Listen to these tracks, courtesy of Roger Cultee…:)  

REZ CITY

BROKENDOWN 

PRAYER SONG 

PERISTROIKA 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Want a copy of Roger’s CD? Contact him at: racultee@yahoo.com 

Or check out Roger's Myspace and website: http://www.myspace.com/rogercultee                                              http://www.cyber-renegades.net/bio_cultee_roger.htm