Rogers Drums USA / ROGERS HISTORY

ROGERS HISTORY TIMELINE
 

1849

Joseph H. Rogers establishes USA’s first calfskin head company in Brewster’s Station, New York, followed later by a second tannery in Farmingdale, New Jersey, operated by son Joseph H. Rogers Junior.

 

1930
In addition to drum and banjo head production, grandson Cleveland S. Rogers begins to manufacturer the first “Rogers” drums at the Farmingdale tannery.
 
 
1955
Cleveland S. Rogers sells the Rogers company to distributor Henry Grossman.  Subsequently, Grossman moves Joseph Rogers Inc. from Farmingdale to Covington, Ohio.
 
 
1956
With the combined skills of Henry Grossman, inventor Joe Thompson, and marketing manager Ben Strauss, the Rogers Company rises to become a leading innovator in drum & percussion manufacturing at the Covington plant.
 
 
1966-2006
After an inspired decade at the company’s Covington facility (considered the “Golden Era” of the Rogers brand), the company’s assets are subsequently sold to a series of musical instrument corporations including CBS (1966), Brook Mays (1999), and Yamaha (2006).
 

 

2017
Rogers returns… 

Rogers shop circa 1930

THE GOLDEN ERA OF ROGERS

Although Rogers has had a long and diverse history in percussion manufacturing, the “Covington Era” (1956 – 1965) was undoubtedly the golden age of Rogers drums.

With the combined strengths of Henry Grossman’s vision, Joe Thompson’s pioneering inventions for the drummer and Ben Strauss’ artist & relations marketing expertise, the Rogers brand raised the bar for drum innovation, becoming a top level professional drum & hardware brand.

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ROGER’S DYNA-SONIC SNARE DRUM

Dyna-Sonic – Many drummers today are familiar with Rogers’ line of Dyna-Sonic snare drums, most specifically, the chrome-over-brass (COB) versions that have become a mainstay in many musicians’ arsenals. The large majority of the Dyna-Sonic snares were COB, however, there were a very small number made during the lifetime of the model that were wood-shelled. According to some sources, there were an estimated 3,000 made total, which makes these rare drums highly sought after by collectors.

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A GROWING FAMILY OF ROGER’S INNOVATIONS

 

Rogers also became known for its innovative hardware as well as making some of the best sounding high-end drum kit designs. Signature drum kits built by Rogers included top player names like Buddy Rich, Cozy Cole & Louis Bellson. Rogers’ Swiv-o-Matic tom-mounting hardware ball and socket tilting mechanism set a new standard for flexibility in positioning drums in tight spaces.

Many non-Rogers endorsed drummers used pieces of Swiv-o-Matic hardware in their setups, including Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin.

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