Roger Filgate
Roger Filgate | |
|---|---|
 American Musician | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roger Filgate |
| Born | December 18, 1965 (age 60) Ridgefield, Connecticut, United States |
| Genres | Rock, hard rock, progressive rock, blues, pop, jazz, fusion, ragtime, classical |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Composer, Producer, Recording Engineer |
| Instruments | Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Lap Steel Guitar, Mandolin. |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Associated acts | Wishbone Ash, Chubby Checker |
Roger Filgate is an American guitarist, most noted for his work with Wishbone Ash.[1]
Musical career
Born into a musical family in Ridgefield, Connecticut, Roger Filgate began playing guitar at nine years old, and by the age of thirteen would be joining his older brother’s bands onstage for a few songs. Starting in 1979 as a High School freshman, Roger played guitar in his first band Eyce (pronounced ice), later followed by Double Take with both groups winning some battle-of-the-bands along the way. The songwriting and recording process also started during his teenage years as did the beginnings of teaching guitar, all of which carried on throughout his adulthood. After graduating in 1983, Filgate moved to Los Angeles, California where he continued performing and showcasing original music in the L.A. club circuit for several years with the rock band Y.
Returning to Connecticut in 1990, Filgate soon formed the band Cinema, which included two of his older brothers, Mike and Jim. A second version of Cinema was reformed nearly a decade later. While working at a local music store, Roger met Andy Powell of the legendary British rock band Wishbone Ash. This 1992 meeting ultimately led to Filgate joining the band full-time in 1994 as guitarist / songwriter for their regarded 1996 studio album Illuminations. Prior to and following the making of Illuminations, extensive U.S. and European tours occurred with Wishbone Ash resulting in the release of the live album Live in Geneva (1995), and compilation albums The Best of Wishbone Ash (1997), and Distillation (1997).
Filgate left Wishbone Ash in December 1997, and in early 1998 he resumed touring throughout North America and Asia with an international Beatles tribute band led by ex-Wishbone Ash singer / bassist Tony Kishman,[2] until leaving in 2000.
The new millennium ushered in Filgate's various original bands, with live performances and album releases from Cinema, Universal Language (2000), Blast Room, Rock is Dead (2005), and a special guest appearance on legendary singer Chubby Checker's Top 40 single Knock Down The Walls (2007), featuring a notable guitar solo by Filgate. He also played nylon string guitar on the Urban Mix version of the song.
In 2008, Filgate became established as a solo artist with his debut instrumental album Worlds Within, receiving acclaimed reviews from popular music magazines & webzines such as Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar, MWE3, and Sea of Tranquility. Several songs have appeared as soundtrack music for major networks including A&E's Gene Simmons Family Jewels, TLC’s Return to Amish and World of Cars gaming from Disney / Pixar resulting in sales, radio and web play in more than twenty countries worldwide. Supporting the album’s release, live concerts by the Roger Filgate Band ensued through 2010. Additional solo releases from Filgate include Letting Go (2010), The Epic Singles (2011), 2 (2012), and a collection of works titled Progressive Collective (2012).
Filgate's guitar work appeared once again on another Top 40 single from Chubby Checker called Changes in 2013. The song was released on RED / Sony Records and produced by the hill & hifi, aka. Mike Rogers and Gary Lefkowith. That same year Filgate’s acoustic single Whistle-Stop (2013) soon followed. Filgate also composed and contributed a song called Strange How Things Come Back Around in 2014 for the album Blue Horizon by his former band Wishbone Ash.
The summer of 2015 saw the release of Filgate’s epic instrumental single Pink Flamenco, clocking in at well over seven minutes. In 2017, Roger collaborated with actor / singer Michael Lombardi of HBO’s Rescue Me fame and released an acoustic single called Bulletproof Butterfly. During that time the two also performed together with a new version of the Roger Filgate Band. However, by the end of 2018 Filgate was forced to stop playing live due to unforeseen health issues. The following year was met with family tragedy and loss. Shortly after the covid pandemic a remastered single version of Feel So High was released in 2021 by L.A. record label Forcefield Studios. The song first appeared in 2005 on the Rock is Dead album by his former band Blast Room.
In January 2024, Filgate released another instrumental album called Mine’s, I. Timed with the album’s release was an announcement on Filgate’s website claiming Mine’s, I as his final solo album, along with his retirement from performing. At the start of 2025, Filgate co-founded and launched Triad Tracks; a company which creates music for commercial, media, network and movie soundtracks.
Additional guest appearances by Filgate include;
- Lap Steel guitar on Loosen Up (1997), album by Irish / Celtic folk singer Niamh Parsons.
- Electric guitar on Only the Tequila Talkin' (2017), single by Americana singer Lisa Bouchelle and lead vocalist John Popper of Blues Traveler.
References
- ↑ "Roger Filgate profile". Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash. 2008. Archived from the original on May 19, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
- ↑ "Band biographies". Twist and Shout. 2006. Retrieved November 8, 2008. [dead link]
3. Roger Filgate official website. Retrieved 2008–2020. 2024. http://www.rogerfilgate.com/
4. Triad Tracks website. 2025. https://triadtracks.com/
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