Sooliman Ernest "Rogie" or S. E. Rogie (1926 – 4 July 1994) was a highlife and palm wine

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

ist and singer from

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

Biography

Sooliman Ernest Rogers was born in 1926 in the town of Fonikoh,

Pujehun District Pujehun District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Pujehun District is one of the sixteen Districts of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is the town of Pujehun . The other major towns in the district include Gandor ...

in southern Province Sierra Leone."S. E. Rogie (Rogers), King of Palm Wine Guitar Music"
Serogie.com He began performing early, while supporting himself as a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

, 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 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. There he performed at elementary and high schools across California, and received awards from the US Congress and Senate, the cities of

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

and

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. In 1988, after being invited by British disc jockey

Andy Kershaw Andrew J. G. Kershaw (born 9 November 1959) is a broadcaster and disc jockey, predominantly on radio, and known for his interest in world music. Kershaw's shows feature a mix of country, blues, reggae, folk music, African music, spoken word pe ...

, Rogie moved to England, where he bought a home in

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross. Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...

. (Source: ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'').] In 1991, he put together a band, The Palm-Wine Tappers, and toured the UK. He died on 4 July 1994 at the age of 68, shortly after recording his last album, ''

Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana ''Dead Men Don't Smoke Marijuana'' is the final album by Sierra Leonean highlife and Palm-wine music, palm-wine musician S. E. Rogie, recorded at Real World Studios, Wiltshire, England, in 1993–94 and released in May 1994 by Real World Records. ...

''. He had undergone

heart bypass surgery Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pai ...

in February but against medical advice travelled to perform in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, where he lost consciousness while performing onstage. He died at Lewisham Hospital, South London, having been flown by air ambulance from Estonia.

Discography

*"Waitin Make You Do Me So" / "Some One Some Where" (7" UK single) (credited as S. E. Rogers) (1964) *''African Lady - Highlife Music From West Africa'' (1975) (credited as Souleman Rowgie) *''Mother Africa, I Won't Forget You'' (1979) (credited as Soolyman Rodgie) *''Palm Wine Guitar Music: The 60s Sound'' (1988) *''The Palm Wine Sounds of S. E. Rogie'' (1989) *''The New Sounds of S. E. Rogie'' (1991) *''

'' (1994)

References

1940s births 1994 deaths Sierra Leonean guitarists Sierra Leonean male singers Highlife musicians Palm wine musicians Real World Records artists 20th-century male singers 20th-century guitarists People from Pujehun District {{SierraLeone-bio-stub

Biography

See also

Discography

References