PAGE 8
Rogers Is Serious,
Easygoing Folksinger
By SONIA MIZELL
The first impression of Gamble
Rogers, the man, is that he is
very serious, intelligent and quite
deep in his thinking. As a folk-
singer, he maintains an easygoing
air with a beautifully developed
wry wit.
Gamble Rc^rs was the guest
entertainer last week at the Green
Garter coffee house. Mr. Rogers is
on tour in a circuit of several
colleges and universities in this
area in connection with the Coffee
House circuit. Before coming to
UNC-C, he was at Bellermine
College in Louisville, Kentucky and
he goes next to the University of
Tennessee in Knoxville.
As a true folksinger. Gambler
Rogers has definite ideas about
what folksinging really is, “Ithlnk
most serious folk songs represent
some kind of attempt at the nar
rative of something important to
people. A lot of folk songs are
like epic poems that didn’t make
it as poems, but have been sung
by generations of people. We don’t
have an Oddessey or an Iliad like
the Greeks, but we do have John
Henry, Paul Bunyan and Pecos
Bill. The stories that sprung up
about them are our stories,” com
ments Mr. Rogers. Why are folk
songs kept alive? ‘ ‘Folksongs have
to be entertaining and amusing
enough that people enjoy them for
the amusement, but folk songs are
kept because they clarify life for
people,” continues Gamble Rog
ers,
Mr. Rogers defines his approach
to folk singing as southern. He
says that the most sophisticated
form of Americanfolk songs comes
Not
Success
( Continued from page 3)
just to accomplish it. However, the
Green Garter was not presented
as a moneymaking project tor the
Union. It was done so the students
and faculty at UNC-C would have
some place to go offering unique
entertainment. This is the point;
The Green Garter was presented
solely for the enjoyment of the
students and faculty. No profit was
made from it. The people in charge
only wanted to break even and be
able to present the Coffee House
several more times this year.
There are three more to be
opened. The next coffee house will
begin the second week in Decem
ber. This one will be a Psycha-
deUc Coffee House. Then, next
semester there will be a Roaring
20’s coffee house and a Gay 90’s
coffee house. The last of the year
will be the Gay 90’s and it will
feature school talent. Anyone is
invited to audition for this one.
The students who worked to make
the Green Garter possible are
ready and willing to present ano
ther one in December, That is,
they are willing if enough stu
dents will find the time to visit
it. If not, there is no question
about what will happen. There will
be no more coffee houses at
UNC-C.
Any comments or ideas about
the Green Garter are welcome
in the form of a letter to the
Carolina Journal.
15=^21
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from the South. This southern
music is ‘‘Talking Blues Folk.”
It allows the use of serious poetry.
The Negroes use this form of sing
ing the most.
When asked who he considers
to the the master of folk music,
Mr. Rogers mentioned several;
Merle Travis, Robert Frost, Doc
Watson and Mose Allison. “Here,”
he says, “we have a North Caro
lina poet, jazz pianist. New England
poet, and country and western
singer.”
As a folksinger, Mr. Rogers
says that his favorite type of aud
ience is one where he and the
audience are sharing an apprecia
tion of something bigger. This
compares with his statement that
Bellermine College in Kentucky
has been his favorite place to
visit and perform so far. Here,
the students in the audience were
spirited and presented a tough
challenge. Accordingly, he had to
change his show to accomodate
their special interests. They were
strongly individualistic and had a
surprisingly large amoung of good
musicians and poets in their num
bers. By the time he left there,
he was doing two shows a night,
himself, then three or four sing
ers and poets would get up and
read this works. He even read
some of his own poetry to them.
Again, Mr. Rogers mentioned that
he liked them because they chal
lenged him and had their own ideas
and talent. “Thatcoffee house end-,
ed up in the utmost way — ivith
community contributors. Even
some of the teachers read their
poetry and sang,” said Gamble
Rogers.
Throughout his entire perfor
mance, Gamble Rogers showed
a remarkable adeptness with his
guitar. He has been studying the
guitar for about fifteen years, and
in the form of a true artist he
continues to learn. At the pre
sent time he is widening his field
of interest by studying jazz.
Although he studiedarchitecture
for several years in Florida, Gam
ble Rogers plans to continue his
career in folk singing. He feels
that folk music affords him a bet
ter chance of personal expression.
”]'M CALL OFF 0012 P)eqTE,VC)l2THAL,—T—
HAVE TO TO-N\TB ."
Rogues Editor, Staff
Attend Conference
Rogues ‘n Rascals editor Candy
Kimbrell and staffers Cindy Tex-
ler and Sandra Brantley attended
the Associated Collegiate Press
Conference in Chicago during Oct
ober 19-21.
The conference is designed to
help staffs improve their publica
tions and provides ample opportun
ity for staffs to have their ques
tions answered by some of the
leading authorities in the publica
tions field.
In addition to publication im
provement, workshops and cam
pus problems sessions, ACP ini
tiated a high powered session on
“Free Press and Fair Trial,”
with a panel comprising some of
the country’s leading authorities
on this controversial press and
social problem.
ACP was established to meet
fte need in the field of college
journalism for advice, criticism,
and suggestions from a reliable
source. Through its services, ACP
gives invaluable help to hundreds
of staffs each year.
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