Roger has been playing guitar for 25 years, and was introduced to awesome rock and blues music at an early age by his older brother, Ron Riggins. The musicians who have had the most influence on his playing style include BB King, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Johnny Winter. Local musician Tom Levay was influential in getting Roger to step out and perform in public, and landed Roger his first gig at a club called JJ’s in Falls Church, Virginia in 1992. The blues and rock trail continued through the 1990’s into the current century with several successful gigging bands, including “Shuffling Madness”, “The Chow Hounds”, “The Steve Saltzman Band”, “Vienna Blues Project”, and “One Nation”.
A Fender Instruments nut, Roger’s primary guitars are Fender Strats and Telecasters, played through a Fender Deville amp. Roger does his best playing in the heat of live performance, taking the music to the edge of chaos and back to sweet melodies while maintaining a strong sense of groove.