October 2003 ~ Featuring Roger Bennett
When someone asks me who my favorite pianist is or who has been my biggest influence, two names are at the top of the list. One is Derrell Stewart, long time pianist for the Florida Boys. I have often said that Derrell is the ultimate showman in Southern Gospel Music, and is one of the best convention style pianists that there is. My first three concerts to ever attend were those of the Dixie Echoes, Florida Boys, and the Cathedrals. In Hammond, Louisiana, at a concert of the Cathedral Quartet, I met a pianist who has made a big impact in my desire to play Southern Gospel Music! I'm talking about my favorite pianist and yours, Roger Bennett.

Roger Bennett was born on March 10, 1959. He is the only child of Doug and Jean Bennett. Roger was saved in July of 1968 at Saffell Missionary Baptist Church in Saffell, Arkansas, which is a suburb of his hometown of Strawberry, Arkansas. He now lives in Thompson's Station, Tennessee. Roger and his wife Debbie were married on December 17, 1981, and have two children, Chelsea (19) and Jordan (17). Roger and Debbie met in the chapel at the college that they attended and were later married in the same chapel that they met in. He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, Tennessee.

Some of Roger's hobbies include photography, reading (especially history), and working with computers. He has a 66 Mustang convertible that he has spent a lot of time on restoring, and occasionally rides his motorcycle when he is at home. Roger has over 2000 old records of Gospel groups, and they are all of groups like the Blackwood Brothers, Statesmen, and Cathedrals. Roger credits Derrell Stewart as one of his biggest influences, since Derrell was the first Southern Gospel pianist that he ever saw. Along with Derrell, Roger credits Lari Goss, Earl Brewer, Jackie Marshall, Wally Varner, and Lorne Matthews as being great influences of his playing. On his website www.rogerbennettdirect.com, Roger has created a page called "Roger's Heroes" as a tribute to his greatest influences.

Roger started playing the piano at the age of nine. When he was in elementary school, he began taking piano lessons from Mrs. Oleta Wallis. However, since Roger played primarily by ear, he would get his teacher to play the songs for him and he would hear them and play what he heard. She recognized his abilities and started helping him to train his ear for music. This is rare, as most teachers only teach strictly by the music and usually have a hard time teaching a student who can pick it up on their own. Roger played in a local group from the age of fifteen to twenty. One night that local group opened a program for the Cathedral Quartet. The Cathedrals were looking for a pianist and when they heard Roger, they asked if he wanted to audition for the job. That night after the concert, Roger met with Glen Payne and George Younce and played for them. They hired him on the spot and told him that they needed him to start the next weekend. Roger had to go home and learn all of their songs. He began playing for the Cathedrals in November of 1979.

On a side note, recently I was in Sevierville, TN, and was having lunch with Lee Greenwood, and Roger's name came into the conversation. Lee is best remembered for his hit "God Bless The U.S.A", however just last year he released an eleven-song Gospel recording. He said that several years ago, he went to a Cathedrals concert and they called him on stage to sing "God Bless The U.S.A", and Roger asked him what key the song was in. Roger had never played the song before, so Lee went over to the piano and told Roger that he would just play it himself. Lee was a fan of the Cathedrals and he can also be heard as the only guest singing a duet on Glen Payne's final solo recording.

In January of 2000, after the retirement of the Cathedrals, Roger Bennett along with Scott Fowler launched Legacy Five. In just a few short years, they have experienced tremendous success across the country. They hired two fellow Louisiana boys, Scott Howard (baritone) and Glenn Dustin (bass), along with Tony Jarman to sing tenor. On the road, Roger listens to songs that are pitched to the group, he created and updates the groups website, and does the layout for their product catalog. On stage he does the emcee work and makes sure the program flows smoothly. Roger was diagnosed with Leukemia (CLL) in August of 1995. He has been in remission three different times. For the latest information on his health, visit the Legacy Five website at www.legacyfive.com.

Roger has been voted Favorite Pianist by the subscribers to the Singing News for 10 consecutive years. He has received numerous other awards including a Dove award for Song of the Year in 2000, for a song he penned for the Cathedrals titled "Healing". Most recently his song "I Found Grace" went to #1 in the Gospel Music charts and has been nominated for Song of the Year.

Visit Legacy Five on the internet at www.legacyfive.com, to see their up to date schedule, and to order their music. If you are looking for information about Roger's piano instrumental recordings or piano instructional material, visit his website at www.rogerbennettdirect.com. His latest solo piano recording is entitled "Church In The Wildwood". This recording features many old hymns such as: What A Happy Time, Sing Your Blues Away, Power In The Blood, I'll Meet You In The Morning, It Is No Secret, Angel Band, and more. I highly recommend this cd to all fans of piano instrumental music, but would also suggest that you get a copy of his recording entitled "Heavenly Highway Hymns" while you are shopping. The "Heavenly Highway Hymns" recording was my introduction to Roger's playing and is one of my favorite cd's. If you are a pianist yourself, and want to take your playing to the next level, you should try his piano instructional videos. He slowly goes over the basics of chords, rhythm, and playing fills in Southern Gospel Music. Roger has always taken the time to encourage and talk with me from the first time I met him, and for those reasons alone, he will always remain my favorite pianist and my biggest influence.