Honoring the Legacy: The Gamble Rogers Folk Festival

Gamble Rogers, the iconic singer/songwriter and guitar player, really defined the word “troubadour”. His storytelling about rural Florida and Georgia, mixed with his incredible vocabulary and guitar skills, made him a cult figure. His career began as a member of the Serendipity Singers; later he appeared in the fabled ’70s documentary “Heartworn Highways” with Guy Clark, Townes Van Zant, Rodney Crowell and Steve Earle. He was a regular contributor to National Public Radio. His tragic death in October 1991 added to his legend; he drowned while trying to save a struggling swimmer. This year was the 30th annual Gamble Rogers Music Festival, a three-day memorial event held at the St Johns County Fairgrounds. During the festival there were a number of activities, including music jams, instrument and songwriting workshops, storytelling and crafts demonstrations, vendors of all kinds, and a youth stage for young pickers to showcase their skills.

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Returning this year to headline the Saturday night show was the John Jorgenson Quintet. A guitar legend, John Jorgenson toured with Elton John for six years, was an original member of Chris Hillman’s Desert Rose Band, and founded the legendary electric band the Hellecasters. He has recorded or toured with an amazingly diverse group of artists: Tommy Emmanuel, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams Jr., Barbra Streisand, Luciano Pavarotti, Roy Orbison, Patty Loveless, Michael Nesmith, John Prine, and Bonnie Raitt. He brought his Quintet to this show, a Gypsy-jazz based band featuring some world class musicians: Casey Driscoll on fiddle, Simon Planting on bass, Rick Reed on drums, and the masterful Rory Hoffman, a crowd favorite, on piano, guitar and accordion. His set was a romp through Django swing, Greek bouzouki music, a few clarinet numbers, an Elton John cover (“Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”) and some masterful international and world music. These are some of the most accomplished musicians on earth, and the set took the crowd around the world with them. A truly virtuoso performance.

Jontavious Willis was mentored by both Keb Mo and Taj Mahal; he opened for them on their joint tour and both of them were involved as producers on his Grammy-nominated album Spectacular Class. Taj Mahal called him a wunderkind and the bright future of acoustic blues. With Rory Hoffman sitting in on keyboards and harp, Willis and his band ran through a great collection of his original blues numbers.

Jontavious Willis and Rory Hoffman 📸:Rick Davidson

Willi Carlisle was the headliner on Friday night, and he was new to me. The Arkansas-based singer/songwriter plays multiple instruments, and his songs range from straight-ahead old time banjo and fiddle tunes to insightful songs about queer life (Carlisle is openly gay), drug abuse and growing up in the south. He actually got a masters degree in poetry to help him with his songwriting. And he’s funny, entertaining and a fine musician.

There are always some performers that catch your attention. For me, this year it was two couples that tour extensively, and are planning a tour together. Shawn Fisher and Jordyn Jackson are Flagship Romance. Currently based in Louisville, they are a dynamic force on stage. They are spontaneous, funny, and clearly enjoy performing and each other on stage. They recently did a European tour and have a pending double album, adding to their four previous studio albums. Their Friday night set was interrupted by a fierce thunderstorm that shut things down for a bit, but they never slowed down a bit. Their songs range from the exuberantly uptempo “Crazy Pills” to the crushing “I’m Not Fine.” One of the most entertaining sets of the weekend for me.

The Rough and Tumble are from New Hampshire and are self-described “dumpster-folk and thrift-store Americana” performers. Scott Tyler and Mallory Graham have been touring for a decade. Their fine harmonies, perceptive lyrics and interactions on stage made for a great set. They played several songs from their new album Hymns for My Atheist Sister And Her Friends to Sing Along To, an album about acceptance of those we disagree with. They chose to limit the instrumentation on the album to the instruments they grew up in church with: piano, organ, guitar and tambourine. But they recruited some of the best folk performers to sing with them: Flagship Romance, Ordinary Elephant, the Honey Badgers and more. Some standouts: a heartfelt song about embracing those you disagree with, “Love Them Too,” and “Ain’t That the Way”.

Since they had played together at times in the past, and are planning a joint tour, we got a real treat with a set of Flagship Romance and the Rough and Tumble combining their voices and songs. I got a preview of the appropriately titled Rough Romance set as they were rehearsing in the campground and knew it would be a special set. Included were “I’m Not Going to Glory”, “I Met Jesus in Buddha’s Back Yard” and they ended with a slightly retitled Lady Gaga cover of “Bad Romance” (retitled “Rough Romance”). This combination of great songs, dynamic performers and special harmonies make their upcoming tour a must-see.

The weekend was packed with fine music, featuring some of my favorite performers. The wonderful singer/songwriter Verlon Thompson provided several great sets of his fine songs and also did a songwriting workshop. The Currys, along with a main stage set, did a late night “Curried Beatles” set, alternating their songs with Beatles covers for fun. The Peyton Brothers celebrated fifty years of performing with a fine set. Grant Peeples and the Peeple’s Republik brought their activism to the main stage, and Red and Chris Henry and their All-Star Band provided some fine bluegrass.

I was lucky enough to know Gamble Rogers, and I have no doubt that he would have been pleased with the broad spectrum of folk and Americana music honoring his legacy. I’m sure he’d have a lot to say. Special thanks to the Gamble Rogers Foundation and Elisabeth Williamson for their efforts in putting on this fine festival every year.