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Rogie, S. E. – The Further Sounds of S.E. Rogie  – New LP
Mississippi Records

Rogie, S. E. – The Further Sounds of S.E. Rogie – New LP

Regular price $ 17.00 $ 0.00

10 brilliant tracks from 1960’s Sierra Leone by the wildly popular S.E. Rogie!

S.E. Rogie went from running a tailor shop in Sierra Leone to being one of West Africa's most popular artists. He toured around the country, singing his palm wine music in multiple local languages, created his own record label, and was known as the most handsome man in Sierra Leone. He formed the highlife band The Morningstars in 1965. In 1973, he came to the Bay Area to live and expand his base, performing everywhere from local high schools and convalescent homes to festivals and large stages. In his later life he hit the road again and toured the world, eventually passing away while on stage in Russia in 1994.

He shared the following songwriting wisdom with his son, Rogee Rogers: “When you write a song, you can be complicated if you want, but your chorus should be that anybody can sing it.”

These tracks were originally released on his own Rogie label in the 1960s and include solo, ensemble, and Morningstars songs, most of which have never been reissued until now.

A co-release with the mighty Domino Sound label.


released March 4, 2022

Disc transfer and restoration by Michael Kieffer
Co-release with Domino Sound

S. E. Rogie

Real Name:
Sooliman Ernest Rogers
Profile:
Sooliman Ernest "Rogie" or S. E. Rogie (1926-1994) was a highlife and palm wine guitarist and singer from Sierra Leone.

Sooliman Ernest Rogers was born in 1926 in the town of Fonikoh, Pujehun District in southern Province Sierra Leone. He began performing early, while supporting himself as a tailor, and he came to use his nickname "Rogie" as his official surname. In the 1960s, he became a professional musician, singing in four languages. His hits include "Koneh Pehlawo", "Go Easy with Me" and "My Lovely Elizabeth". He formed a band called The Morningstars in 1965. In 1973 Rogie left Africa and travelled to the United States. There he performed at elementary and high schools across California, and received awards from the US Congress and Senate, the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, California. In 1988, invited by British disc jockey Andy Kershaw, he moved to England, where he bought a home in Finchley. He died in 1994 at the age of 68, shortly after recording his last album, Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana. He had undergone heart bypass surgery some months earlier but against medical advice travelled to perform in Russia, where he lost consciousness while performing onstage.

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