Roger Pope

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Roger Pope
Born	March 3, 1947 Whitstable, Kent
💀Died	September 17, 2013 SouthamptonSeptember 17, 2013
🏳️ Nationality	British
💼 Occupation	Drummer
📆 Years active	1963–1978
👩 Spouse(s)	Sue Tressider

Roger Pope (March 20 1947–September 17 2013) was an English drummer, best known for playing on six Elton John albums and, through the 1970s, as one of Britain’s foremost session drummers. He was known for his larger-than-life personality, and as a “musician’s drummer”—powerful, precise, versatile and dynamic (and one of the few drummers able to properly play the “Art Blakey Shuffle”).

Early life

Pope was born in Whitstable, Kent and raised in Southampton. His mother was a singer; his father, Ron, was a jazz musician and manager of The Waterfront Club, a popular night club in Southampton's Cliff Hotel. Roger began playing drums in his early teens, while attending Itchen Grammar School.

Career

The Soul Agents

In 1963, before leaving school, Pope co-founded a band called The Countdowns. He was then asked to join The Lonely Ones, a local blues and jazz band which included the virtuoso organist Don Shinn. The band’s name was changed to The Soul Agents, and became immediately popular in the Southampton area. It was signed to Pye Records and recorded 14 singles, four of which were released in Europe and North America. In 1965, they were joined by Rod Stewart; with him, they played clubs throughout the UK, usually billed as "Rod Stewart and The Soul Agents". Also with Stewart, they toured the UK with Buddy Guy and backed Roy Orbison, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Johnny Rivers and Long John Baldry and The Hoochie Coochie Men. The band broke up in 1965; of The Soul Agents, rock historian Bruno Ceriotti says it was "undoubtedly one of the hottest British rhythm and blues bands of the mid-60's."

DJM Records

By 1967, Pope was in London, working in construction, and as a session drummer for the music publisher Dick James whose DJM Records roster also included Bernie Taupin and Reginald Dwight (Elton John). As the pair wrote songs, Pope would play on the demos, which were then pitched to established performers. Pope was the drummer, for example, on Elton John’s first single, "I've Been Loving You", and his first hit, "Lady Samantha". He also worked on the 1968 Troggs album Mixed Bag.

In August 1968, at the behest of producer Chris Thomas, Elton John formed a group called The Bread and Beer Band, with Pope, Bernie Calvert, Caleb Quaye and percussionist Lennox Jackson. Twelve songs were recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Decca Records released two singles, "Devil's Galop" and "Breakdown Blues", and then cancelled the album. John, Quaye and Pope returned to the studio to record the first Elton John album, Empty Sky.

Hookfoot

In 1967, Pope, Quaye and Ian Duck, along with several others, had formed a band called The Loot. In 1969, after releasing a handful of singles, the three split off to join Fred Gandy and David Glover in the formation of the band Hookfoot, named after Pope’s method of keeping his drum kit’s Hi-hat in place. Hookfoot was a successful band; over the next five years, it released seven albums and, to the end of his life, Pope felt that it was one of the best bands of its time. Quaye felt that it was not sufficiently commercial for Dick James to fully support; James repeatedly had the band interrupt its touring schedule to record John’s Tumbleweed Connection (1970) and Madman Across The Water (1971). And although Hookfoot was popular in the US, where it was signed to A&M Records and conducted a successful tour, it got no support in the UK. The band returned to London to work on several albums for other musicians, and then James sent them back to the US in support of Elton John’s 1970 US tour. Despite its popularity and many successful shows, Hookfoot faltered and finally broke up in 1974. In 1995, the Portsmouth News reported that Roger Pope and Ian Duck were organizing a Hookfoot comeback, but that didn’t happen.

The Kiki Dee Band

By this point, Pope was the full-time drummer for The Kiki Dee Band, which scored a massive hit with 1974’s "I've Got the Music in Me". Dee, another client of DJM, was already doing well in the Europe, thanks to her 1973 hit "Amoureuse" but "I've Got the Music in Me" launched her, and her band, to a higher level and they began opening for bands such as Queen in the UK, then went on a tour of the US. There, they opened for Steely Dan and the Beach Boys before meeting up with Elton John as the opening act on his 1974 US tour for Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

Elton John

In 1975, Elton John decided he wanted to change his sound and dismissed his bass player, Dee Murray, and his drummer, Nigel Olsson. Pope was asked to replace Olsson and he remained with John for two years, through 83 concerts and the recording of the albums Rock of the Westies (1975), Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975), and Blue Moves (1976).

Following the Blue Moves tour, John announced that he was taking time off and dismissed his band. Four of its members–Pope, Cooker Lo Presti, James Newton Howard and Davey Johnstone formed their own band, China. They released one album, China, in 1977. Pope, still much in demand as a session drummer, went on to play on a series of successful albums for, among others, Cliff Richard, Al Stewart and Hall & Oates. For the Hall & Oates albums, and Daryl Hall's solo album Sacred Songs , producer Robert Fripp reuinted the three musicians who recorded Rock of the Westies and Blue Moves–Caleb Quaye, bassist Kenny Passarelli and Roger Pope.

Personal life and death

Pope did not record any commercially-available music after 1980; according to his sister, he had developed a drinking problem that was so serious, he thought it would end his life at 44. But he did start playing again; in a 2012 interview, Pope said that he’d been playing drums for the English singer Georgie Cullum and working on a film soundtrack with Elton John's former arranger, the British composer Martyn Ford.

Pope’s sister credited his recovery to his long-time girlfriend, Sue Tressider. At the end of his life, while in Southampton General Hospital dying of neck and throat cancer, Pope and Tressider were married. Pope passed away a few days later, on September 17, 2013, at age 66.

Discography

• The Bread And Beer Band – The Bread And Beer Band, 1967
• The Troggs – Mixed Bag, 1968 (aka Hip Hip Hooray)
• Elton John – Empty Sky, 1969
• Chris Britton – As I Am, 1969
• Hookfoot – A Piece of Pye, 1969
• P.P. Arnold – The Turning Tide, 1969
• Hookfoot – Turn the Radio On, 1970
• Mr. Bloe – Groovin With Mr. Bloe, 1970
• Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection, 1970
• Ralph McTell – You Well-Meaning Brought Me Here, 1971
• John Kongos – Kongos, 1971
• Hookfoot – Hookfoot, 1971
• Al Kooper – New York City (You're A Woman), 1971
• Claggers – Chumley's Laughing Gear, 1971
• Shalom Hanoch – Shalom, 1971
• Ray Fenwick – Keep America Beautiful, Get A Haircut, 1971
• Elton John – Madman Across The Water, 1971
• Long John Baldry – It Ain't Easy, 1971
• Harry Nilsson – Nilsson Schmilsson, 1971
• Al Stewart – Orange, 1972
• Hookfoot – Good Times A' Comin', 1972
• Hookfoot – Live in Memphis, 1972
• Michael Gately – Gately's Café, 1972
• Mike Hugg – Somewhere, 1972
• Phillip Goodhand-Tait – Songfall, 1972
• Hookfoot – Communication, 1973
• Chris Darrow – Chris Darrow, 1973
• Mick Audsley – Dark And Devil Waters
• The Kiki Dee Band – I've Got The Music In Me, 1974
• Isaac Guillory – Isaac Guillory, 1974
• Chris Darrow – Under My Own Disguise, 1974
• Hookfoot – Roaring, 1974
• The Kiki Dee Band – Stereo Pop Special-90, 1975
• Al Kooper – Al's Big Deal – Unclaimed Freight, 1975
• Hookfoot – Headlines, 1975
• Howard Werth & The Moonbeams – King Brilliant, 1975
• Elton John – Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, 1975
• Elton John – Rock of the Westies, 1975
• Elton John – Blue Moves, 1976
• Kevin Ayers – Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today), 1976
• Colin Blunstone – Planes, 1977
• Cliff Richard – Every Face Tells a Story, 1977
• Al Stewart – The Early Years, 1977
• China – China, 1977
• Peter Skellern – Kissing In The Cactus, 1977
• Hall & Oates – Livetime, 1978
• Hall & Oates – Along the Red Ledge, 1978
• Hall & Oates – Live in Pittsburgh 1978
• Mylon LeFevre – Rock 'N Roll Resurrection, 1980
• Daryl Hall – Sacred Songs, 1980

References

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