Roger Salloom, The Vest Pocket Players

*375 copies limited edition* Roger Salloom was in the center of the 1960s San Francisco psychedelic scene, playing the Fillmore with Santana, Van Morrison, BB King and Procul Harum. In the 1970s he moved to Nashville to pursue songwriting, then disappeared for two decades to raise a family as a single parent and draw a syndicated cartoon. There is a story here. A story so intriguing that it enticed an award-winning filmmaker to make a film about the subject. So Glad I Made It, the Saga of Roger Salloom, America’s Best Unknown Songwriter, won six awards, was on the 2006 Grammy ballot, and received rave reviews across the U.S. 

Let’s back up: in Bloomington, IN, Roger formed Salloom, Sinclair and Mother Bear. Moving to San Francisco in 1967, they performed in venues such as The Carousel, The Fillmore and The Avalon Ballroom alongside contemporaries Santana, Procol Harum and BB King. When Chess Records founder Marshall Chess sought to broaden the label's roster, he signed Salloom, Sinclair and Mother Bear; this resulted in two albums released on Cadet/Concept. When Mother Bear went into extended hibernation, Salloom and co-leader Robin Sinclair found further success in Nashville with Area Code 615. Roger created an extended family of artist peers while in Nashville that included Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell and Richard Dobbins. Later, as a single Dad, Salloom had a challenging life throughout the 1980’s. After settling in Northampton, MA, he continued songwriting, recording and playing with artists such as The Band, John Prine, Jonathan Edwards, Jerry Jeff Walker, The BoDeans, Joan Armatrading and Leon Russell.