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Formed in Houston, Texas in 1994, The Rogues have become international performers, with appearances all over North America and Scotland. They have shared the stage with Natalie McMaster, The Battlefield Band, Steeleye Span, and Eric Rigler (Bad Haggis) and have become the favorite act at numerous festivals and Scottish events around the country. The band recently completed their seventh album, Roguetrip. Their fifth album, Rogues V.0, and their fourth release, Off Kilter, are listed six times in the Grammy book.
"... an impressive racket ... splendidly cacophonous duets ... All you kilted
cowboys pull on your boots and stomp along!" — Dirty Linen
"It gives them chills. It's the kind of music that raises the hackles on the back of their necks." — E.J. Jones
Band Members' Bios:
Randy Wothke is a graduate of the University of Houston with a degree in Music Education. Randy was one of the founding members of The Rogues in 1994. In 2005, he had the honor of receiving an ASCAPLUS Award from ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) for his original compositions. A former public school teacher, Randy began Scottish style drumming in 1986. He has competed at numerous Scottish Highland games throughout the United States in the open snare drum classification, and with the Hamilton Pipe Band from Houston, Texas when they became the Grade III World Champions in Glasgow, Scotland in 1998. Randy currently composes music for the Rogues and manages most of the band's business.
Nelson Stewart has been performing for twenty years in such diverse musical genres as rock, Celtic, funk, folk, jazz and soundtracks. He plays several instruments: piano, guitar, accordion, bass, mandolin, sax, harmonica, bodhran, and various other drums. Nelson was a founding member of the popular Celtic rock band, The Swinish Multitude, from Toronto, Canada. When the group later reformed as The Fictionmakers, he became their lead singer and chief songwriter. Nelson has been an educator since 1994, and currently teaches English and music in Canada where he also conducts a stage band, a funk band, and a concert band. His passion for education has led to his nomination for a Profiling Excellence Award, a series of designations recognizing and honoring exemplary programs and achievements within his school board. In his spare time, he enjoys writing music and working in his own recording studio, Duke Street, where he is currently helping to develop unsigned bands on his own indie label, Mayhem Records.
Jimmy Mitchell's piping journey began in 1981 when he enrolled in 4th Grade at St. Thomas' Episcopal School in Houston, Texas. He remembers his mother mentioning that the school had a bagpipe band, but he had no idea what that was. In the third week of school one of the seniors walked into his classroom and asked who was interested in joining the band and learning the bagpipe. A couple of his friends raised their hand, so Jimmy did as well. While the senior was putting his name on the band list he remembers asking him, "By the way, what is a bagpipe?" That's how his journey to playing the bagpipes began.
In the summer of 1985, just after he had finished 8th Grade, the school's piping instructor Mike Cusack, took the band over to Scotland to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships. The band placed 1st in the Juvenile Division and this marked the first time an American band had ever won a World Pipe Band Championship.
Jimmy graduated from the University of Houston with a business degree. During his years there, and after graduating, he was a member of the Hamilton Pipe Band in Houston. He competed with the band when they won the Grade III World Pipe Band Championships in 1998.
In 1994 Jimmy joined The Rogues and performed with them for several years, playing on the band's first 5 albums, and writing music. Jimmy left the band in 1995 to pursue a successful solo career, and was welcomed back by The Rogues in 2007.
Rogues Discography:
Roguetrip (2005)
Made in Texas (2003)
V.0 (2001)
Off Kilter (1999)
Live in Canada, Eh? (1997)
Hollerin' for Haggis (1996)
The Scottish Rogues (1995)
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