# Gene Rodgers

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gene_Rodgers
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gene_Rodgers.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Rodgers
> Source revision: 1321974371
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Gene Rodgers
| image           = Gene Rodgers 1946.jpg
| birth_name      = Eugene Ricardo Rodgers Jr,
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1910|3|5|mf=y}}
| birth_place     = [New York City, New York](/source/New_York_City%2C_New_York), U.S.
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1987|10|23|1910|3|5|mf=y}}
| death_place     = New York City, New York, U.S.
| genre           = [Jazz](/source/Jazz)
| occupation      = Musician, composer, arranger
| instrument      = Piano
| years_active    = 
| label           = 
}}
{{Refimprove|date=May 2024}}

'''Gene Rodgers''' (March 5, 1910 – October 23, 1987) was an American [jazz](/source/jazz) pianist, composer, and arranger. He is best known for being the pianist on [Coleman Hawkins](/source/Coleman_Hawkins)' famous 1939 recording of "[Body and Soul](/source/Body_and_Soul_(1930_song))".<ref>[Scott Yanow](/source/Scott_Yanow), [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p9544/biography|pure_url=yes}} Gene Rodgers] at [AllMusic](/source/AllMusic).</ref>

==Early life==
Born Eugene Ricardo Rodgers Jr, the eldest child of Eugene Ricardo Rodgers Sr (aka Eugene Richard Rodgers), and his wife Blanche Bona Cabey (both of whom were born in what was then the [Danish West Indies](/source/Danish_West_Indies) / Danish Antilles, later the American Virgin Islands), he was named for his father. Gene had three younger siblings, Mildred (1914), Rowland (1918), and Genevieve (1920).

==Later life and career==
Rodgers worked professionally from the mid-1920s, and in the next few years made recordings with [Clarence Williams](/source/Clarence_Williams_(musician)) and [King Oliver](/source/King_Oliver) in addition to playing with [Chick Webb](/source/Chick_Webb) and [Teddy Hill](/source/Teddy_Hill). He started his own [variety show](/source/variety_show) in the 1930s, doing tours of Australia and England; while in the latter in 1936 he recorded with [Benny Carter](/source/Benny_Carter).

Upon his return he played with [Coleman Hawkins](/source/Coleman_Hawkins) (1939–40), [Zutty Singleton](/source/Zutty_Singleton), and [Erskine Hawkins](/source/Erskine_Hawkins) (1943). He did work in [Hollywood](/source/Cinema_of_the_United_States) in the 1940s, including an appearance in the film ''[Sensations of 1945](/source/Sensations_of_1945)'' with [Cab Calloway](/source/Cab_Calloway) and [Dorothy Donegan](/source/Dorothy_Donegan). After this he worked mainly in New York, leading a trio for many years. He played with the [Harlem Blues and Jazz Band](/source/Harlem_Blues_and_Jazz_Band) in 1981–82.

Rodgers appears, with opening title credits, in the 1947 film ''[Shoot to Kill](/source/Shoot_to_Kill_(1947_film))'', though it seems the sound was not miked during filming. Appearing about 9:40 into the film is "Ballad of the Bayou"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVwWSR7VE1Q|title=Gene Rodgers - "Ballad of the Bayou" (1947)|via=[YouTube](/source/YouTube)}}</ref> and later is "Rajah's Blues." Both are Rodgers compositions.

Rodgers recorded sparingly as a leader; he did two sides for [Vocalion](/source/Vocalion) in 1936, four in a session for [Joe Davis](/source/Joe_Davis) in 1945, and albums as a trio leader for [EmArcy](/source/EmArcy) (1958), [Black & Blue Records](/source/Black_%26_Blue_Records) (1972), and [88 Up Right](/source/88_Up_Right) (1980).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0734709}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodgers, Gene}}
Category:1910 births
Category:1987 deaths
Category:American jazz pianists
Category:American male jazz pianists
Category:Musicians from New York (state)
Category:20th-century American pianists
Category:Harlem Blues and Jazz Band members
Category:Black & Blue Records artists
Category:20th-century American male pianists

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gene Rodgers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Rodgers) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Rodgers?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.