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When Rogers drums are first mentioned to a drummer, or a musician, the common reaction is of awe. Only the legendary drummers use those drums: Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, David Garibaldi, Roy Burns, and Harvey Mason to name a few. For a time, at least a very brief but illustrious time, there were great American drum companies that were legends during their time: Ludwig, Slingerland, Gretsch, Camco, and Leedy. Legendary as these are, not one of them ever reached the pinnacle of success and quality as the Rogers Drums Company of Cleveland, Ohio.
Joseph H. Rogers founded the Rogers Company in 1849, the first in the United States, for the production of high-quality animal-skin heads for banjos. It wasn’t soon after that the company became famous about the quality of their calfskin heads. This is the legacy that the man behind Rogers drums left behind to establish it forever as the foremost drum company in the world.
Rogers drums history
The decline of the popularity of the banjo in the 1930s only managed to diversify the talent of the company, and soon, the production of drums began. When Joseph Rogers died, Henry Grossman purchased and moved the company to Covington, Ohio. Thus the “Covington Era,” as it soon became known to be, began. With the inspiration of an avid drum collector and inventor, Joe Thomson, production began of the most innovative designs on drums from Rogers drums, and acoustic drums came into fruition.
Death of Joe spells death of Rogers drums
It was the death of Joe Thomson in 1968 that ended that era of success for Rogers drums and the company. The company was bought by CBS which quickly disbanded the team of craftsmen who were the key to the quality of tone of Rogers drums. They were quickly replaced by lesser quality drums and it was immediately noticeable. However, the legend lives on; the Rogers drums have survived, some in music museums, some in foundations where legendary musicians are forever enshrined.
Today, the legend of the drums remains. They are still something that is talked about by musicians who miss the sound quality that the original Rogers drums had. The dwindling popularity of the Rogers drums came when the craftsmen were replaced by machines, and the whole idea of Joseph Rogers were forgotten. In its place was the need to sell more, at rapid rates, without the quality sound that musicians looked for. It is a pity that Rogers drums are no longer made as they were before, but maybe that is why they are legendary in the music world.