By Matthew Wittie
Special to LIVE!
May 19, 2007

“I’m one of the luckiest guys in the entire history of the Texas music business,” said Roger Creager right before his show April 12th at Graham Central Station in San Angelo, Texas. “I have been able to do it my way. I’ve been able to call the shots, I’ve been in charge and had my plan executed.” That is the main reason Roger Creager has had one of the longest lasting Texas music careers and is still one of the most popular live shows around. With his tremendous voice, creativity in writing, and massive live show crowds, Creager has established Texas music, and himself, as a force to be reckoned.

Roger Creager started playing gigs after his first attempt at college at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas in 1994. “I was playing barbeque restaurant gigs. I played for $20 and all the beer I could drink,” Creager recalls of his first show in College Station. “We were just a bunch of young college students starting a band.” Creager failed out of Texas A&M in the early 90’s but vowed to himself that he would come back and finish his degree. From A&M, Creager enrolled in Sam Houston State University where he earned a business degree that would later come in handy. After moving to Houston for a couple of years and working as an accountant, he had a longing for the Texas Music Revolution that was going on at the time and Aggieland was right in the heart of the action. “I reapplied to A&M after having worked for a year and was accepted, much to my surprise. I decided that it was now the time to quit the day job. I was a friggin’ accountant! So that was a no-brainer!” Creager did finish his degree from Texas A&M but he was already afflicted with the music bug by that time.

Being in College Station in the mid-90’s was the perfect incubator for Roger Creager to work on his writing and performing. At that time, the whole Texas music revolution was just starting to take off, with emerging artists like Pat Green, Cory Morrow, Jack Ingram and more. “Robert Earl Keen started it out. Robert Earl is one of my all-time favorites,” admitted Roger. “I was in college the second time at A&M and I came into my apartment and my roommate was in his room playing a Robert Earl Keen song. I stood there in the hallway listening to those songs and I can tell you that from that night on, I have never been the same. Not the way I listen to music, not the way I write and not the way I perform.” Creager also credits Jerry Jeff Walker and Jimmy Buffet as major influences of his signature style. Taking a newfound approach to his writing with these influences, Creager became one of the early founders of the now established Texas music scene. If it wasn’t for guys like him, it might not be where it is today, drawing crowds all across Texas. “You know, Jack Ingram came along and was the first guy our age. Right behind him, it was me, Pat (Green) and Cory (Morrow). But there was no music scene. There was nothing. We were thrilled to death to draw eighty people at the Cow Hop in College Station. It really exploded in about 1996.”

Roger Creager decided to produce his first two albums himself which was like most of the other early Texas music stars. Shortly thereafter, Creager realized that to make it in the industry he would have to do something different, and his own way by signing with Dualtone Records out of Nashville. And he is not scared to flirt with Nashville, even with the stigma surrounding such a move. “That’s the challenge. The fact is that if you want a major recording career, you have to go to Nashville. Period. Live music is Texas and that is where we play most of our live music but if you want [to get ahead] you have to go to Nashville. There is not a single record company in Texas that can do something for me that I can’t do for myself.”

That being said, Creager’s strength is in his live shows and that has what has keep him packing houses everywhere he goes although he hasn’t released a studio CD in five years or had a major radio hit. And Roger is fine with that. “As long as I am writing songs and making music that people want to hear, I am doing what I love. The younger crowds continue to flock to us, and honestly it is because of our live shows, because they are so fun. You know, for me, playing live and winning over fans is what we are good at. As far as getting on the radio and finding songs that typical country radio likes, that has been a challenge for us. You know, you can have songs that a.) Really resonate with people or b.) That radio really likes. And there are songs that do both. But I have been fortunate enough to write songs that people can relate to like “The Everclear Song,” “I’ve Got the Guns,” and “Having Fun All Wrong.” But radio doesn’t grab it. Well, if I had to choose between radio and the masses [of people grabbing on to the music] then I would pick the people every single time. To hell with radio! Everything we have accomplished is without one single radio hit. So when the radio hit comes, which is whenever it is, hopefully we’ll find the missing piece of the puzzle for going nationwide and taking Texas country music all over America.”

Roger is closer than ever to his goal of nationwide success for Texas country. With a new CD coming out sometime within the next year, a new talented lead guitarist from Scotland, Craig Smith, and a new road manager, Howie Edleman, Roger Creager is positioned to take his poetic, baritone voice and witty, down-to-earth songs to every household in America. “I am so pleased with how this ride has gone, but I am not even close to where I want to be.” And all the while, doing it the Roger Creager way.

For more on Roger Creager, visit www.rogercreager.com.

Browse and listen to all of Roger Creager's songs on iTunes (click here)