Roger Blevins Jr & Friends

Hi, friends. I’m Roger Blevins Jr. Most folks call me Rog.
Musicians usually pay someone to write our bios. I’ve done that plenty of times.
But I’d guess I know me better than they do so…
I grew up with a professional bassist as a father. That seems important. I
listened to countless 45s spinning on the record player - everything from James
Brown to The Doobie Brothers to Earth, Wind and Fire and Billy Joel - as he
charted out songs for gigs. My grandmother sat me next to her on the organ
bench and played old hymns while I tried to work out what all the buttons and
switches did. I’ve been surrounded by and in love with music my whole life.
Around the fourth grade we sang harmony for the first time in school. The song
was “Shenandoah.”
That was it. I knew.
For three decades I was lucky enough to front my band, Mingo Fishtrap. We
started Mingo in the early 90s at the University of North Texas. Just a crew of
college misfits who found some common ground in our love for classic soul and
funk. That wasn’t the typical sound you’d hear at the time on college campuses
and it helped us grow pretty quickly in the scene around DFW. We started
writing tunes and cut our first album a few years later. We cut our teeth and paid
our dues playing those originals and the soul “standards” I had heard Pops
playing all those years before. He and I would end up playing together for nearly
sixteen years with Mingo after he joined the band in the late 90s.
Over nearly thirty years, we released a handful of albums, toured relentlessly
across the country and abroad - well over a thousand shows, I’m told - and we
got to share the stage with some amazing people. Usually the folks that write
bios would drop a list of names here, but that seems silly to me now. Most of the
folks I would include on that list I’m lucky to call friends, so hit me up and I’ll
send you a playlist.
The pandemic shut things down abruptly in March of 2020. Mingo released a
single during lockdown, and I released a few under my own name. But it was
tough to coordinate as we were spread out across the country. And just as
things began to start moving again, I was diagnosed with tongue cancer.
After two years of treatment including several surgeries, radiation, chemo &
immunotherapy, I would ultimately lose about 80% of my tongue in July of 2024.
We weren’t certain what the aftermath would look like. Honestly every day is a
crapshoot. But I’ve had amazing people in my corner: my wife, our friends and
family, our church, and this amazing community of music lovers we’ve been
privileged to know throughout this crazy journey.
I’m very much a work in progress, but music, singing, writing, performing…these
have been the most effective therapy. My goals as a musician haven’t changed,
even if the mechanics have. Finding that connection with folks through music is
pure magic. I thank God everyday for opportunity to keep trying.
That gratitude led my wife, Val, and I to form The Tough Crowd Project, a
nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to helping cancer patients, survivors and their
families through fundraising for the organizations which provide transportation,
housing, financial aid and other support so folks can get the care they need. And
of course, music is playing a big role. We launched in September 2025 with a
collaboration of some of Austin’s finest musical talents. “Tough Crowd” by
Roger Blevins Jr. (feat. Ruthie Foster) marks the beginning of a new chapter for
us.
I don’t know if that’s a good bio. I don’t think it matters too much.
Let’s play.
Love,
rog