Composers
Alex Rogers
1876 - 1930About
Alexander Claude Rogers, known as Alex Rogers, was a composer and lyricist. He wrote music including for the musical Bandanna Land and served as president and a board member of the Gotham-Attucks Music Publishing Company. The firm published some of his songs.
Rogers was born in Nashville, Tennessee. When he was 18, he moved to Philadelphia after joining a minstrel show then in 1902 met Bert Williams and George Walker. The three produced several successful shows, the first being "In Dahomey" which they performed across the United States and England. Other shows with Williams and Walker included "Bandanna Land" and "Abyssinia".
Rogers specialized in writing in African American dialects. After Williams died in 1922, Rogers wrote three Broadway musicals with Luckey Roberts: "Go-Go" (1923), "Sharlee" (1923), and "My Magnolia" (1926), the latter starring Adelaide Hall. He also made several recordings on Victor Records with Eddie Hunter.
Rogers died in September 14, 1930. His obituary ran on the first page of the New York Age and credited him with writing the lyrics to 2,000 songs.