Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Johnny Rogers, performing as the late Buddy Holly, entertains the crowd during the 2016 Clovis Music Festival.
From Elvis Presley to Jimi Hendrix, Prince to John Travolta, Bruno Mars to Justin Timberlake, Johnny Rogers uses his "God given talent" to impersonate anyone. But he admits the love he has for Buddy Holly is different.
Rogers, a 32-year impersonating veteran, will be performing the Buddy Holly Tribute at this year's Clovis Music Festival for the fifth time.
Rogers has been impersonating ever since he was a kid in Jackson, Tennessee, when he first heard Holly and his life was changed. His favorite song to perform is "Oh, Boy."
"You can just tell when he sings that song that he is on top of the world," said Rogers.
Rogers said he loves his line of work.
"I'm just a guy that loves life and enjoys what I do for a living," he said.
Why Buddy Holly?
I can't explain it because I am a third cousin to Elvis Presley. My father was a (disc jockey) and a song writer who always pushed me towards music and I never wanted anything to do with it. But I heard him for the first time when I was 15 and it turned a switch on.
What's your favorite part of impersonating?
Playing Buddy Holly for Buddy Holly's brother, playing Prince for Prince's sister, singing "Peggy Sue" to Peggy Sue. It is just the people I have been able to meet, from members of the Bee Gees to Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins.
What's your favorite memory?
I used to play concerts for kids at the Surf Ballroom, where Buddy did his last show, and I just got this feeling. So I jump off stage and I put this $1,500 guitar around this little 8-year-old boy's neck and say, "This is yours now." I get a Facebook message from his mom a few days later and find out that this kid was at my concert last year and has been asking for a guitar ever since. God just puts me in the right places.
What does this generation of music mean to you?
It represents a simpler, more innocent time in America. When you hear Buddy Holly, you think of a warm slice of apple pie, of sock hops, of going steady with a girl and giving her your high school ring. You think of driving on Friday nights. This was a time when all the stars just aligned perfectly.
