Roger Schultz

Born in August 1960 in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, Roger Gordon Schultz developed a love for music at an early age, and by age 7 was singing in school choirs and plays. “At age 8, I received a $10 tip for singing Apple Blossom Time with a 72 year-old lady who played an old upright piano at the local American Legion Post. I was hooked.”

With four older brothers, Roger became aware of popular music early on and inherited a number of worn out 45 RPM singles. When he became addicted to the Beatles, he bought a used drum kit at a yard sale and began playing it and the family piano to death. “I wanted to be Ringo,” says Schultz.

When he was 12, Roger formed a garage band with some neighborhood friends. “None of us were very good players, so we couldn’t do ‘cover’ tunes – so, we began writing our own songs.”

At age 14 Roger entered a teenage song writing contest sponsored by RSO publishing. They handled The Bee Gees and Eric Clapton at the time, so this was the Big Time. After a long wait Roger was notified that he was a finalist and had won $250.00. “Wow, I used the money to buy a brand new PA system so we could piss off the neighbors by playing louder.”

When Roger’s garage band broke up, he traded his microphone for an old Harmony acoustic – “with F holes! I got the sheet music for the Beatles’ song “Let It Be” and began teaching myself guitar.”

A couple years later a chance meeting with now longtime friend Jamie Thompson cemented his musical course. “Jamie is two years older than I, so with his guitar, long hair, and cool demeanor, I began to almost be a stalker. Anywhere in school that he would be playing guitar I would find a way to be there. I missed a lot of classes.”

After becoming friends Jamie’s band Black Rose broke up. Around this time, Roger had also struck up a relationship with an amazingly talented drummer. “To me Ron Karp was the most naturally gifted musician I had ever met”. Ron Jamie and Roger began jamming at Ron’s house and immediately began writing original music. Feeling that he could not keep up as a guitar player, Roger traded his PA for a bass and an amplifier. Receiving a couple of pointers, he was off into a new territory, Bassland.

Through what Roger refers to as an “incredible blessing,” he became reacquainted with "gifted and talented singer/songwriter" David Young, whom he knew from high school through his friendship with Jamie. "David's crafting and writing discipline still influence me to this day," says Schultz. "Then, in a blink of an eye, I was off to live in State College with Ron close behind – and one of the most incredible adventures imaginable for a sheltered kid from Bucks Co. Pa. was magically happening.”

With Red Rose Cotillion, Roger played a solid bass but also wasn’t afraid to explore. With the band often venturing into uncharted territory – AKA space jams – Roger held his own as he laid down melodic, often meandering bass patterns. He also wrote and sang several original songs, including "Like a Raven," “Givin’ It Up,” and “What a Fool,” which received airplay on college radio.

After leaving RRC in the fall of 1981, Roger found himself living Tarpon Springs, Florida. “After living in a college town, I walked straight into the middle of Redneck land.” In need of cash, Roger soon found himself playing country music at BT Bones, a favorite western Florida hang out in the early 1980s. Through this job, Roger gained a love and respect for country music and ended up playing bass with Bertie Higgins (Key Largo fame) and Jeff and Terry Pinkham (Hot New Artists). Then Roger took a job at Florida’s number one country night club, The Dallas Bull playing sideman to Nashville and Canadian Recording artist Billy Troy. This job led to an extensive tour of Canada and the USA as well as an exiting opportunity to play bass for former Jefferson Airplane Front man Marty Balin. With these opportunities, Roger was able to perform in shows with many top performers including Mark Chestnut, Hank Williams Jr., Exile, and the Charlie Daniels Band.

Following these successes, Roger still longed for the creative brotherhood he had with his old pals and returned to State College on a couple of occasions to rekindle some old magic with Jamie and his old musical friend and amazingly talented singer Ken Volz. “We had some fun” Roger says of their band, Pictures, which enjoyed a short run in the summer of 1991.

When the Pictures gig ended, Roger returned to Florida, where, being a self -admitted workaholic, he studied to become a Registered Nurse and has had a successful career in the surgical field for the past 15 years, all the time performing in the Tampa area at pubs and nightclubs, sometimes solo and sometimes with various combos.

After the loss of his mother in 2005, Roger “retired” from full time nursing to focus on his successful and entertaining project, The Dock Rockers (formerly known as "Two Weeks Notice"), with whom he has returned to playing guitar. Roger lives in Tarpon Springs with his wife Susan and daughter Sierra, age 6.