🎸 Roger Mason

Roger Mason was born in 1944, son of an itinerant officer and descendant of a long line of Jewish musicians and Yankee pickle makers.

By the age of 17, Mason had already grown tired of being a nomad and a "Third Culture Child". He attended more than a dozen schools and lived not only in the United States (New York, Massachusetts, Utah, Virginia and California) but also in Japan, Germany, Switzerland and Russia.

We could also mention his long childhood travels in many countries:

Mason studied at Brown University at the beginning of the turbulent 60s but soon left to emigrate to France with the firm intention of becoming a theater author.

Fate decided otherwise and he found himself working as a night employee at the then very young American College in Paris. Following this, he was mysteriously recruited as a secret agent in the service of an organization that we cannot name here.

A folk aficionado since high school, Mason sang several times at hootenannies in the catacombs of the American Church and at those of Lionel Rocheman at the American Students and Artists Center.

Tired of his life on the Right Bank, Mason moved to the thirteenth arrondissement in 1967 with his first wife, Françoise Sonthonnax and decided to become a musician. He taught guitar at Rocheman's Guitar Center on avenue d'Italie while studying music theory at the Municipal Conservatory of the thirteenth arrondissement.

Through his friend Reeve Lindbergh, Mason met luthier and artist Bernard Prunier. He joined his chamber music orchestra, Les Dilettantes, on harpsichord, and performed every Monday evening at La Vieille Grille.

Through Prunier, Mason met emblematic figures of the French cultural scene:

🎬 Artistic Projects

• He accompanied Brigitte Fontaine on guitar for a year
• Studied organ with Isoir at the César Frank school
• Worked with Duhamel on the opera "Lundi Monsieur, Vous Serez Riche"
• Collaborated on the film "Death Watch by Bertrand Tavernier"

Thanks to Alezera, Mason began performing at the Wednesday Folk evenings at La Vieille Grille alongside:

Through Bouteille, Mason helped Wright and Perrier found Le Bourdon, the first Folk club entirely dedicated to French Folk at the Café de la Gare.

Mason also participated in the first "underground" journal by Max Peteau, Le Pop, as a music journalist. This journal promoted the first French Folk festival organized by Pierre Toussaint in Lambesc in 1970.

🚌 Tours and Collaborations

With Lionel Rocheman, Mason went on tour in 1969 through Brittany with "Chansons Pour Châteaubriand" alongside Alan Stivell, Steve Waring, John Wright, Catherine Perrier and Claude Lemesle.

His collaboration with Steve Waring led him to record his best-selling album, "Special Instrumental: Guitare Américaine" with Le Chant Du Monde in 1970. Mason continued to work with Steve Waring from 1970 to 1974, playing with him for two weeks at Bobino and providing artistic direction for the recording of his song "La Baleine Bleue".

💿 Solo Albums (1971-1978)

Between 1971 and 1978, Mason recorded three other solo albums for Le Chant Du Monde and collaborated on a recording with Derroll Adams, Chris Lancry and Karel Bogart entitled "Blues From Over The Border".

🎷 Introduction of Cajun Music

Mason introduced Cajun music to the French public in 1974 during a triumphant five-week tour of the Balfa Brothers in collaboration with Bernard Mounier and Michel Salou. He directed a Cajun music collection for Le Chant Du Monde and was invited to play it at the Acadian Music festival in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1978.

🎯 RCA Period and European Hit

Mason left Le Chant Du Monde in 1979 to record with Jack Treese for Jean-Michel Caradec and RCA. His "Boogie Du Corbeau Et Du Renard", recorded with Jean-Jacques Milteau was number one on the European hit parade for six weeks.

🧒 Children's Albums

Mason rejoined Le Chant Du Monde in 1981 to record his children's album "Le Professeur Dorémi". With the help of Chris Hayward, Mason produced another children's album, "La Lune Qui Rit", on his own label, Ragtime Records, in 1983.

In 1984, Mason became a full-time music teacher at Marymount International School in Neuilly-sur-Seine. At this time, he stopped performing on stage.

In 1996, he returned to the United States with his family. He completed his doctorate in music education at the University of Miami, Florida, in 2001.