Roger Eilts

Roger at Courtland, KS

Rogers' first band was formed when he was in the eighth grade. "The Soul Vibration" debuted their one and only musical masterpiece at the eighth grade graduation assembly and then silently slipped back into obscurity. Who knows what the world has missed with the untimely break-up of this world-class act? And who could guess what instrument he played with this band?

After performing in musicals and every available musical ensemble in High School, Roger traded in his trombone for a guitar and set out in pursuit of higher education. He earned his BA in vocal music at Bethany College, where the sensational "Wichita Jones Collective" was formed, and then, sadly, de-formed.

Roger wails on Stage 3

After a brief stint in women's shoes (sales), Roger joined his older brother Leo in Kansas City in the summer of 1976 where they teamed up with two other musicians to form the electric bluegrass band "The Total Strangers". In August of 1986, the Total Strangers disbanded, leaving behind a legacy of T-shirts, bumper stickers and broken guitar strings.

Shortly thereafter, a mutual friend (Marlin Perkins?) introduced Roger and Leo to Scott Prowell and Marvin Gruenbaum. This fortuitous alliance led to the formation of "The New Quartet". Roz Brown resolutely put this name to rest at Winfield that year by dubbing the band "Spontaneous Combustion" just prior to their first show. It is rumored that "The New Quartet" has re-surfaced as "Our Lady of the New Quartet", a quasi-militant mando-religious sect located somewhere in cyber-Spain.

After living happily in mid-town Kansas City for 17 years, last summer Roger and family moved to Prairie Village and are living on the old Jensen Dairy Farm, a 1.49 acre estate in the middle of town. According to Roger, Buddy Epson came to him in a dream. Rogers' eyes get sort of misty as he describes it; "he (Buddy Epson) said, 'Johnson County is the place you oughta be', so we loaded up the truck and we moved to Prairie Vee". There are rumors that there is a new band, "The Johnson County Mountain Boys", rehearsing in secret in Rogers' garage. Roger has been pretty tight-lipped about their work, but a couple of the titles that slipped out are, "Steam that Broccoli Down, Boys", "Little Condo in the Cul-de-sac", "Red Haired Person", and a sure-to-be-rocket, "Low Sodium Dog".

Roger "sunlights" as a Food Broker in Overland Park, Ks. Other bands, past and present are Prairie Gators, Knights of the Blue Fesque, and a yet-to-be-named Hawaiian Band.

Roger's older brother, Leo; their mother, Betty Schwartzkopf; and Roger