Rogers Simply Serves Trail Snacks

There was no mistaking Roy “Dusty” Rogers Jr.’s affection for country and western music Monday night at the Crazy Horse. In fact, he seemed so enthused when performing his father’s legendary “Happy Trails” that one could easily imagine him yelling “Yippee-ki-yay!” at song’s end.

It became quite clear before long that the son of Roy Sr. and Dale Evans has yet to find his own distinctive voice or vision. Playing to a smattering of fans, Rogers and his five-piece band, the High Riders, lacked creative spark. But as a human jukebox, watch out.

Eager to hear the Sons of the Pioneers, the groundbreaking western vocal group co-founded in 1933 by Roy Sr.? For its “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” press F3. How about Marty Robbins’ “El Paso”? That’ll be A5. Johnny Paycheck’s “Don’t Take Her”? Try A1. And so it went.

Rogers and his mates covered these tunes--along with Roy Sr.’s “Pecos Bill”--with reverence and care. Rogers’ deep voice was emotive and sturdy, and steel guitarist Matt Starner stood out with his aching, tender notes. But with regular gigs at county fairs, theme parks, festivals, rodeos, casinos and the like, shouldn’t they strive to be more than a mere tribute band?

Rogers Jr. has to work in his father’s shadow, and surely that’s not easy. Jakob Dylan and Ziggy Marley know how it feels, and they’ve managed to carve out their own respectable niches.

*

Now 50 and living in Apple Valley with his wife and three children, Rogers proved that he too can deliver a noteworthy song. He wrote “King of the Cowboys” several years ago to honor Pop. It eloquently expresses the love and devotion a son feels toward his father, and it provided the concert’s high point. If only there had been more like it.

As a showman, Rogers revealed little. Instead of opening a window into the lives of a treasured American family, he limited his stage patter to brief song introductions and polite “thank yous.”