Davis Rogan
Davis draws his musical inspiration from Professor Longhair and Fats Domino, as does every New Orleans Rhythm and Blues piano player. What separates Davis is his lyrics. The wit, irony and self deprecation echo Randy Newman but the wry observations about life, humanity and New Orleans are uniquely his. Davis is a fifth generation New Orleanian raised in neighborhood of Carrollton. He began his broadcast career on WTUL at the age of 10, and was a DJ at WWOZ for 13 years. Davis began playing professionally with Kermit Ruffins, but he came to prominence in the New Orleans music scene with his eight piece funk, brass and hip hop group ALL THAT, for which he was lead singer, band leader, principal songwriter, arranger and producer. There are three albums to their credit, including one on Rounder Records. ALL THAT was a club staple in New Orleans and toured extensively in North America and Canada. In the early aughts Davis returned to his New Orleans R&B piano roots, playing with a quartet and writing new material. Post-Katrina, Davis Rogan was an Artist in Residence at the Royal Abbaye de Fontevraud in the Loire Valley, France. He has toured and recorded with French brass funk groups Ceux Qui Marchent Debout and Les Fils de Teuhpu. In addition to his duties on the program Treme, Davis performed regularly in New Orleans clubs. In 2010, on hiatus between Season 1 and Season 2 of Treme, Davis recorded, The Real Davis, which was co-produced by the show's music supervisor, Blake Leyh. Davis has taught elementary school music, intermittently, in the Orleans Parish Public Schools for the past twenty years.