New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On Friday, November 3, country artist and Texas-native Randy Rogers received the "Young Alumni Rising Star Award" from his alma mater
Texas State University. The award is given to two winners annually and is presented by the alumni association. Nominated by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Rogers earned the honor as recognition for his 17 years in the music industry, work with charities and undertaking of the Cheatham Street Warehouse.
In addition to accepting the award, Rogers visited the university, spoke to classes and attended the annual award gala.
Over the course of a dozen releases and multiple major award nominations, Rogers and his band --
Randy Rogers Band -- consisting of the same core members it began with, have gone from rowdy college town bar group to one of the most successful, long-running acts in the always burgeoning
Texas music scene. Rogers has worked with many of the industry's leading names such as Radney Foster, Dean Dillon, Jay Joyce, and Paul Worley. And on recent records, he has fulfilled lifelong dreams of singing with the legendary likes of
Allison Krauss, Jerry Jeff Walker, and the Red Headed Stranger himself, Willie Nelson.
In early 2016, Rogers and long-time business manager
Robin Schoepf launched Big
Blind Management with the aim of steering promising songwriters towards a fruitful, long-lasting career. In December 2016, Rogers purchased the Cheatham Street Warehouse to help preserve the legacy that Kent Finlay left after his passing in March of the previous year.
But the music business isn't the only business that Rogers and his wife, Chelsea, are deeply involved in, however. With San Marcos and New Braunfels locations of River Rose, Chelsea's clothing and makeup boutique, the passion for locally-owned small business is backed with flair as well as boots-on-the-ground hard work. For years, Rogers has hosted Golf Jam, formerly known as For the Sake of the Shot, a charity golf tournament and concert, raising money for a number of worthy causes, while lending his voice to fundraising concerts and tournaments hosted by many of his well-known friends each year.
Most recently, in 2017, his role in the ownership group for the new Cleburne Railroaders helped welcome a new team and a new stadium to the place where he once had to switch on the television in order to see real ball played.
"I started out riding around in an '88 Suburban, and over the years, I've come across so many things I care about beyond the stage lights," says Rogers. "I want to continue to diversify and develop into a man who cares about, and excels in, different ways that will help others."
Rogers will perform a handful of select acoustic shows with
Kip Moore and Wade Bowen to wrap 2018, as well as a handful of full-band dates. The
Randy Rogers Band is currently recording a new studio record with GRAMMY Award-winning producer Dave Cobb, and it's expected early 2018.
