Like many of the characters created by his fertile imagination, Gamble Rogers was truly larger than life.
He was an accomplished musician and songwriter, one of America’s best storytellers, an unmatched balladeer, a hero who gave his life while saving another and a person who made a permanent impact on American folk music. Each year, the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival helps ensure his legacy will continue to inspire.
Born in 1937 into a family of prominent Florida architects, Rogers decided to follow another path. His musical abilities and vivid imagination combined to create enduring folk songs and a fictional Florida community called Oklawaha County. He became nationally known as the lead singer and guitarist of the Serendipity Singers appearing on The Tonight Show, Ed Sullivan Show and Hootenanny before launching a successful solo career that inspired many other young artists. The Atlanta Constitution said Rogers was “an American treasure worthy of inclusion in the Smithsonian.” Jimmy Buffett dedicated his “Fruitcakes” album to the Florida balladeer and wrote that Rogers “taught me how to move an audience with dialogue and delivery as much as with music.” Sadly, in 1991 at the height of his career, Rogers died while trying to save a drowning man. The Florida beachside park where the tragedy occurred was renamed Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area.
Held each spring at the St. John County Fairgrounds, the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival re-creates much of Rogers’ music and stories while giving aspiring young performers an opportunity to follow in his footsteps. There’s even a youth music contest. The three-day festival features more than two dozen acts selected from among America’s top folk performers. Multiple stages add to the excitement. In addition to wonderful folk music, there are camping facilities, food trucks, local artisans and vendors.
Headlining the festival is AJ Lee & Blue Summit and the John Jorgenson Quintet, with supporting acts including Verlon Thompson, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Remedy Tree, The Krickets, Red and Christopher Henry & Their All Star Band, Wyatt Ellis, and more.
