December 2025
Nashville Social Club in Carson City, brought the music of Roy Rogers and The Delta Rhythm Kings to their Swan Music Hall on Sunday, November 30th. Delta blues guitarist Roy Rogers performed with Kevin Hayes on percussion and Steve Ehrman on bass. Each one of these musicians ignited the stage with their own magical sounds and talents.
Roy Rogers is a true guitar legend and the audience inside the music hall appreciated the treat of seeing him perform in such an intimate setting. Rogers treated the crowd to a set filled with blazing slide guitar licks, soulful blues and told many heartfelt stories from his collaborations with musical legends such as John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana and many more.
This sold-out crowd experienced Roy Rogers masterfully move his fingers with such speed and perfection, while playing music on his many different specialty guitars. Roy started with an acoustic guitar, a Dobro Resonator, and then moved to playing on a very rare Stobel German guitar. He then switched again to a classic Doubleneck Guitar, a 12 string ccoustic and finished the evening with a hollowed-out body electric guitar. Rogers played each of these instruments masterfully with expert technical skills accompanied with a gigantic smile on his face.
In exchanging a few words with Rogers, he expressed that “If your heart is not in your music it shows on your face. You have to love what you’re doing, and not just going through the motions for it to be magical and successful.”
Roy played many of his favorite blues songs from his past in New Orleans, and Robert Johnson’s Terraplane Blues project, then finished the evenings show with an upbeat song “Believe” which got almost everyone out of their chairs and dancing.
In the audience that night was Natasha James, a Tahoe local and Grammy nominated recording artist. I asked her what she thought of tonight’s show, this was her reply: “Roy Rogers is a master of his instruments and has only gotten deeper through the years. Kevin Hayes’ brilliant drumming set the stage with his deep grooves and perfectly placed accents. The exquisite and purposeful notes played by master bass man, Steve Ehrman, speaks volumes to the music with his clarity of delivery and weighted notes; every note had something to say, serving the song. It was a major treat hearing these masters deliver the consuming show!”
Once again, a gigantic Thank You to the owners of The Nashville Social Club, John Procaccini and Kitty McKay for bringing in such amazing talent and keeping the live music alive in Carson City!
Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings will return to the area in July of next year, for a Tuesday Bluesdays show at Palisades Tahoe. Hopefully this time the weather will behave.
