Clapper Sounds with Big Daddy Rooster -

For our 35th Clapper Sounds Interview, we’re highlighting the Big Daddy Rooster band!

We sat down with Rooster from Big Daddy Rooster (@BigDaddyRooster on Clapper) to learn more about his musical journey and how the band came to be. We learned about his inspirations, the group’s songwriting process, his tips for new musicians, and more!

Clapper Sounds is meant to be an intimate musical experience, and we want that mission to translate into our written interviews too. Listen to their music as you read to get to know Rooster.

Let’s start from the beginning. What is your first memory of being involved with music? How did you start your artist journey?

My mom who was a gospel singer and pianist; she was on the radio back in the 1950s. She could play them all by memory and just recite all these different hymnal gospel songs. I didn’t think much of it as a young man, but as I got a little bit older and was listening, it appealed to me and I wondered how it was done. She showed me some chords on the piano and taught me some things. When I think about now, it’s just mind-blowing! The concepts that she taught me laid a groundwork for the rest of my musical career.

I didn’t really care for the gospel singing at that time. It was just a white noise in my house because everybody did it, so what appealed to me was what was on the radio. And then I heard people playing guitar like ACDC, Eddie Van Halen, and Randy Rhodes. It really drew me into the guitar and I started learning how to play guitar and as a probably about 12 or 13.

What are your thoughts on content creation as an artist? How do you feel about artists having to balance their social media presence and still be committed to their art?

A general answer would be that you have to be willing to take the time to do both. You can’t just shortcut them, you have to sit down and make good content. That’s your platform, you’re giving people you through what you create. At first, your content’s not going to be great; it’s going to be basic. I do it all myself, so I have to do all that in conjunction with uploading it and promoting it. Let me tell you, it feels like I got a part-time job, almost a full-time job now. As long as you’re dedicated and motivated, you’re gonna come out on top. As long as you’re persistent with that, you’ll keep making better content.

If you could open a show for any artist who would it be?

If you’d asked me that question 10, 20 years ago, the answer would have been different. It would probably have to be somebody I’m not just interested in but also fascinated with as an artist. I think one of them would be Johnny Cash. His story has been told a few times and man, he’s done so many crazy, interesting things as an artist. I don’t know if you’re aware, but he wrote a whole album dedicating it to the Native American tribes he’s affiliated with. And he’s always putting God first, no matter his predicament. His voice is also calming and soothing, he always tells great stories. So I would definitely say Johnny Cash for sure. I can’t really think of anybody that would supersede him.

If I was answering 10 years ago, I was doing a lot of classic rock mixed in with country, and I would probably have said Charlie Daniels or Lynyrd Skynyrd. Also the Allman Brothers because they developed the first touring system. If it wasn’t for them, none of these artists today would have that same type of system. And if I go 20 years back, I think it’d be KISS or Metallica. But KISS was one of my first groups that I really loved because I loved their makeup.

How did you meet your bandmates?

I was a solo artist, and we knew each other by association. Big Daddy, the other third of the band, we have similar musical influences and styles, and we were always interested in each other’s music and jamming together. He ended up leaving his band and then we put together this thing, which we eventually named Big Daddy Rooster! Last summer we were looking for a third part because it felt so empty without another guitar player. This guy comes up, and he latched on and showed his loyalty. He plays great guitar and banjo. On March 21st, we’re going to Nashville and starting a cycle of recording in Nashville and then releasing singles. Our first big single release should be sometime in April!

Tell me about your songwriting process! Do you all three work together, or is there one person in charge?

Usually I come up with a rhythm, a series of chord progressions, or something musical. Tim is great with lyrics, so we may suggest a line or two, but he’ll build those out and get a story going. Neil will work on melodies, guitar-work, and banjo. Then we all bring it together. I’m trying to also create videos that tell the story of the song, which we post on YouTube.

Deciding to be an artist can have its ups and downs. What advice would you give to that young artist who is just learning to play guitar, or starting singing lessons and whose dream is to be a musician?

I would say, number one, to learn your instrument. Come close to mastering it, as close as you can, and then get into songwriting. Don’t wait, don’t delay, because that’s where your money’s at. That’s where your career and your craft is, songwriting. So whether you’re the main artist, you write lyrics, or you can do it all, you need to develop your craft on songwriting. Second thing is stay away from drugs and alcohol and if you are mixed up in it get clean.

Make sure to check our recorded live session on our account Clapper Sounds and in our reels on Instagram. Enjoy the Clapper Sounds Live Session with @BigDaddyRooster!

Be Heard, Be Seen, Be Valued

Clapper Sounds with Big Daddy Rooster

Let’s start from the beginning. What is your first memory of being involved with music? How did you start your artist journey?

What are your thoughts on content creation as an artist? How do you feel about artists having to balance their social media presence and still be committed to their art?

If you could open a show for any artist who would it be?

How did you meet your bandmates?

Tell me about your songwriting process! Do you all three work together, or is there one person in charge?

Deciding to be an artist can have its ups and downs. What advice would you give to that young artist who is just learning to play guitar, or starting singing lessons and whose dream is to be a musician?

Like this:

Let’s start from the beginning. What is your first memory of being involved with music? How did you start your artist journey?

What are your thoughts on content creation as an artist? How do you feel about artists having to balance their social media presence and still be committed to their art?

If you could open a show for any artist who would it be?

How did you meet your bandmates?

Tell me about your songwriting process! Do you all three work together, or is there one person in charge?

Deciding to be an artist can have its ups and downs. What advice would you give to that young artist who is just learning to play guitar, or starting singing lessons and whose dream is to be a musician?

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