Roger Fisher (guitarist)

Roger Fisher

Roger Fisher (born February 14, 1950 in Seattle, Washington) is a guitarist primarily known as one of the founding members of the band Heart. His tenure lasted from 1963 until 1980.

Career

The band Heart started out as The Army in 1963 in Seattle, Washington, formed by bassist Steve Fossen and brothers Roger Fisher (guitar, mandolin) and Mike Fisher (drummer, guitarist, manager, producer, engineer, sound engineer, light man). The group went by the names Army, Hocus Pocus, and White Heart (and/or perhaps White Hart) before settling on just Heart in the early 1970s. Ann Wilson joined the band in 1970 and Nancy in 1974; romances sprang up between the Fisher brothers and Wilson sisters, with Mike dating Ann and Roger dating Nancy.

Heart rose to fame following the release of their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, in 1976. Follow-up albums Little Queen, Magazine, and Dog and Butterfly also sold well. Following the release of the Dog and Butterfly album, the Fisher/Wilson romances came to an end. In February 1980, Roger Fisher left the group.

Roger Fisher went on to join the band "Alias". Alias had a few hits, most notably in 1990 with the song “More Than Words Can Say”, which recently resurfaced in a Subway sandwich commercial. Alias toured extensively through 1990. The band also performed twice on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The group disbanded in the early 1990s whilst touring to promote their album.

Fisher continues his musical career. He has recorded a number of solo records and has collaborated with many musicians in the Pacific Northwest USA, including session/touring percussionist Matthew Burgess. He was also involved with a group called "Clever Bastards". Fisher moved with his family from Washington State to Prague, Czech Republic, in 2007. As of September 2008, however, he resides in Lynnwood, WA, USA.

Instruments

Although a Gibson EDS-1275 is listed under 'Notable Instruments', the instrument in the article photo was created from 2 originally single-necked guitars, and is not in fact a factory Gibson doubleneck. In Guitar Player issue Dec. 1979, it is described by Roger as "a Gibson SG that was modified into a 6- and 12- doubleneck guitar by Ed Myronyk." The guitar was used to record "Love Alive" as well as "Soul Of The Sea". The guitar is now held in a private collection

External links

• Official Site
• Fisher's custom made Stratocaster
• Mac interviews: Roger Fisher
• Fisher's band, The Clever Bastards