By Crystal Harrell
Paul Rodgers has crafted a legacy all his own in the realm of rock music and has purposely maintained a low profile, preferring to let his songs be his voice. As an original forming member, lead vocalist and main songwriter of rock bands Free, Bad Company and The Firm, Rodgers’ signature sound has paved the way for future generations. He has also performed as a Grammy nominated solo artist and collaborated and toured with the remaining active members of Queen under the moniker Queen + Paul Rodgers. The International magazine Classic Rock ranked him #2 on their list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time,” and Rodgers received the British Academy’s Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution as a Songwriter to British Music in 2011. Other recipients include John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Sting.
Rodgers’ newest musical record, Midnight Rose, his 32nd release, will be out September 22 – on both CD and Vinyl LP and is available now to pre-order. There are eight new tracks on Midnight Rose, entitled “Coming Home,” “Photo Shooter,” “Midnight Rose,” “Living it Up,” “Dance in the Sun,” “Take Love” (which was released as a single and hit #1 on the Apple Charts New Rock Songs in Canada), “Highway Robber” and “Melting”.
“’Melting’ is my favorite track on the album because of the haunting imagery the song creates. I feel it is somewhat similar and yet different to a song I wrote years ago, ‘Bad Company.’ Since I am not traveling much these days, I prefer to spend more time at home, so there are no plans to tour the album. However, I may look at recording an acoustic show of the album and make that available for the fans,” shared Rodgers.
Rodgers reveals that if someone had told him when he first started out in music at 14 years of age that he would have a 60-year career, he would have thought them to be mad. The 73-year-old rocker feels both blessed and blown away at the longevity of his career, but he feels it must be said that were it not for all of the gifted musicians that Rodgers has had the absolute privilege to play with, his career would not be what it is. “Guitarists like Paul Kossoff, Mick Ralphs, Jimmy Page and Brian May, bassists like Andy Fraser, Boz Burrell, Todd Ronning and drummers like Simon Kirke, Chris Slade and Roger Taylor—really, there are too many greats to list them all.
For me, music is as much a part of my life as oxygen and food. When a new song comes along–or in this case, eight new songs–each is its own unique creative journey from the first note to the last,” shared Rodgers. All of the musicians, producers and creatives involved in the Midnight Rose album were inspired and inspiring to Rodgers. From Bryan Adam’s guitarist Keith Scott, The Rolling Stones and Allman Brothers’ Musical Director and keyboardist Chuck Leavell, Garth Brook’s violinist Jimmy Mattingly, Bad Company bassist and solo band bassist Todd Ronning, Stonebolt guitarist and producer Ray Roper, Rodgers’ solo band drummer Rick Fedyk to singer and Palm Springs resident Leslie Page.
The legendary Grammy award-winning producing/ engineering/ mixing team of Bob Rock and Randy Staub with major direction from Cynthia Rodgers also played an important hand. “My wife brought out the colors of the tracks along with the light and shade. I think the late Robbie Robertson has said something like, from the first vocal and drums back in cave man and woman days, one thing has not changed… you have to feel it and believe it to make it work. Or as Mozart said about music, ‘from the heart to the heart.’ I hope this album does that for the fans,” said Rodgers.
There are so many great and varied favorite memories in Paul Rodgers’ life, but the first that comes to mind for him is not in his career, but rather the births of his three children–Natalie, Steve and Jasmine.
“They are each unique individuals who are all caring, kind, smart and tuned in to life. I am very proud of them. As for my career, meeting and connecting with guitarist Paul Kossoff in the very early days when we jammed at a blues club in London and later formed the band Free was a very exhilarating time for a teenage lad from Middlesbrough in the north of England,” revealed Rodgers.
Writing his first song “Walk in my Shadow” was a very empowering moment for Rodgers as well. Other treasured memories include touring America with Bad Company (a band that guitarist Mick Ralphs and Rodgers started), “Can’t Get Enough” hitting the radio airwaves, and writing “Midnight Moonlight Lady” with the legendary and truly awesome Jimmy Page, which was the start of a new chapter and the two became The Firm.
Rodgers is proud of the magical way that the new album Midnight Rose came together with all of the players meshing together creatively. Rodgers had no intention of doing an album and was just working on some new tracks with the guys in the studio when a casual conversation with Virgin Records/ Primary Wave/Sun Record’s Larry Mestel and Rob Dippold changed everything.
“The process for creating new songs varies. Sometimes you get the spark of an idea from something you see or hear and that triggers your imagination. Then there are times when I sit at the piano, or with an acoustic guitar, or even a bass guitar, and just start to play and form the structure of the song. ‘Wishing Well’ is a song I recorded with Free and it was written on the bass—in fact, an old Echo bass guitar. Most of the songs on this album started life on an acoustic guitar. I have had songs on the back burner, and they just need to percolate and evolve over time until they feel complete. When I revisit them, I find new and different inspiration, and if I put my mind to it, the inspiration does come and we are ready to push the record button,” said Rodgers.
