Hi, friends. I’m Roger Blevins Jr. Most folks call me Rog. Musicians usually pay someone to write our bios. I’ve done that plenty of times. But I’d guess I know me better than they do so… I grew up with a professional bassist as a father. That seems important. I listened to countless 45s spinning on the record player - everything from James Brown to The Doobie Brothers to Earth, Wind and Fire and Billy Joel - as he charted out songs for gigs. My grandmother sat me next to her on the organ bench and played old hymns while I tried to work out what all the buttons and switches did. I’ve been surrounded by and in love with music my whole life. Around the fourth grade we sang harmony for the first time in school. The song was “Shenandoah.” That was it. I knew. For three decades I was lucky enough to front my band, Mingo Fishtrap. We started Mingo in the early 90s at the University of North Texas. Just a crew of college misfits who found some common ground in our love for classic soul and funk. That wasn’t the typical sound you’d hear at the time on college campuses and it helped us grow pretty quickly in the scene around DFW. We started writing tunes and cut our first album a few years later. We cut our teeth and paid our dues playing those originals and the soul “standards” I had heard Pops playing all those years before. He and I would end up playing together for nearly sixteen years with Mingo after he joined the band in the late 90s. Over nearly thirty years, we released a handful of albums, toured relentlessly across the country and abroad - well over a thousand shows, I’m told - and we got to share the stage with some amazing people. Usually the folks that write bios would drop a list of names here, but that seems silly to me now. Most of the folks I would include on that list I’m lucky to call friends, so hit me up and I’ll send you a playlist. The pandemic shut things down abruptly in March of 2020. Mingo released a single during lockdown, and I released a few under my own name. But it was tough to coordinate as we were spread out across the country. And just as things began to start moving again, I was diagnosed with tongue cancer. After two years of treatment including several surgeries, radiation, chemo & immunotherapy, I would ultimately lose about 80% of my tongue in July of 2024. We weren’t certain what the aftermath would look like. Honestly every day is a crapshoot. But I’ve had amazing people in my corner: my wife, our friends and family, our church, and this amazing community of music lovers we’ve been privileged to know throughout this crazy journey. I’m very much a work in progress, but music, singing, writing, performing…these have been the most effective therapy. My goals as a musician haven’t changed, even if the mechanics have. Finding that connection with folks through music is pure magic. I thank God everyday for opportunity to keep trying. That gratitude led my wife, Val, and I to form The Tough Crowd Project, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to helping cancer patients, survivors and their families through fundraising for the organizations which provide transportation, housing, financial aid and other support so folks can get the care they need. And of course, music is playing a big role. We launched in September 2025 with a collaboration of some of Austin’s finest musical talents. “Tough Crowd” by Roger Blevins Jr. (feat. Ruthie Foster) marks the beginning of a new chapter for us. I don’t know if that’s a good bio. I don’t think it matters too much. Let’s play. Love, rog