ROCK LEGEND
Paul Rodgers to play songs from Free, Bad Co., The Firm and solo career
Paul Rodgers has been influenced since his youth by icons of various genres, including rock ’n’ roll, Memphis blues and American soul.
“I’ve always loved singing, from a very early age,” he said. “I had a band, and we were doing shows when I was 13 and 14, and we played working men’s clubs, we played bars, we played youth clubs and everywhere and all over. My experience started very early, and I used to look up to people like Otis Redding and John Lee Hooker and a lot of blues and a lot of soul, of course, the Beatles and the (Rolling) Stones and everything.
So all those people really influenced me. I loved what they did, and I wanted to emulate that. I think I’m still trying to do that in many ways.”
Growing up in the shipping port town of Milford, England, gave him privy to records from the United States that crews from around the world would bring in. There were also fledgling musicians who passed through Milford, which Rodgers saw perform at local clubs, including The Who, Rod Stewart and Cream.
“I saw a lot of fledgling bands that went on to become really, really amazing big bands,” he said. “And I loved what they did in these small clubs. I loved the atmosphere.
It was very intense, very sweaty, and the walls were weeping with moisture and stuff. And everybody was just so involved. It was an emotional, almost a spiritual experience, very uplifting, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is what I want to do,’ and I guess in many ways I’ve been doing that ever since.”
Being one of the greatest voices in rock ’n’ roll, Rodgers has had the opportunity to work with other legends. He recently had a live jam session with Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page, as well as Queen guitarist Brian May and former AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson in London.
“I have met so many of my heroes,” Rodgers said. “I’ve actually played with a lot of them, too. The bands that I sort of formed and written songs with, Bad Company, Free and The Firm. Jimmy Page, he came to the show that I did at Royal Albert Hall recently, and so did Brian May. … Robert Plant came up and jammed with us, and Brian Johnson came up at the same time, so I still do bump into my heroes all the time, and we jam sometimes. It’s a lot of fun. It really is fantastic.”
Rodgers has a massive catalog of music to choose from to create a set list from bands he formed, such as Free, The Firm and Bad Co., as well as his solo projects.
“I’m always striving to push the envelope and do different things,” he said. “What I do like, when I play with my soul band, I put the best of, in a way, my favorite songs, together.”
Rodgers hopes songs on the set list will trigger the memories of audience members.
“When I go take a walk down memory lane and listen to all the songs that I used to listen to as a kid growing up, I get a great feeling from that,” Rodgers said. “I still get the same sort of, you know, the emotional surge, really, when I hear some of these songs that I used to listen to back then. I can still listen to them and get a great thrill from them. I’d like to think that people get that same experience from my songs, too, and I think that’s just a beautiful thing.”