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"Bobee" is Roger Hayward Lewis Jr., Roger's first-born son. How the child elicited the nickname "Bobee" is lost somewhere in the mists. Bobee joined the U.S. Marine Corps Rserve as a teen-ager (see photo below). After his stint, early 1980s, he returned to New Orleans, got married, and began college. He was diagnosed with osteoporosis. Doctors and Hospitals in Houston couldn't help. Bobee passed away at age 22.

That his father wrote such an exuberant yet serene tune about
Bobee is testament both their characters. The band that Roger co-founded with Gregory Davis, Kevin Harris, Charles Joseph, 
Kirk Joseph, Benny Jones, and Efrem Townes in 1977, the genres-fusing, paths-makings Dirty Dozen Brass Band, recorded "Song for Bobee" on their New Orleans album, produced by Scott Billington for Columbia Records, in 1990.

The 2021-2022 version leads with Herlin Riley's polyrhythms and Kirk Joseph's deeply complementing bassline through his sousaphone. Roger's alto, baritone and tenor saxophones in their harmonies and melodies send something like an embrace of unspoken tenderness across the decades.
 

Classic Title

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Roger Lewis, Herlin Riley, Kirk Joseph and I recorded the tracks that make up Roger's ALRIGHT! on August 3, 2021 and January 31, 2022. Michael Torregano Jr. joined them on the latter date. Rick G. Nelson was engineer in his Marigny Studio of New Orleans on August 3. Adam Keil was engineer on January 31. O We all knew that we were tracking for Roger's début album as leader.

Seven decades! His first professional gig as a saxophonist at age 15 in 1955. The Dew Drop Inn, the Royal Peacock, .... Backing Little Richard, Ray Charles, Etta James, Willie Tee, Irma Thomas, ....
Studying with Willie Metcalf and Kidd Jordan.... Shedding on the road with Fats Domino. Lee Allen, Herbert Hardesty, Carl LeBlanc, .... Shedding, shedding, shedding always with Frederic Kemp....  Co-founding the Dirty Dozen Brass Band 44, 45 years ago.... From The Glass House to Montreux. Clubs and beach with Dizzy Gillespie.... Mari, Mari, ... Playing out five nights a week when home and Second-Lines on Sunday.... "So many times,
I don't know how I played that!"

Roger Lewis   alto, baritone, soprano
  saxophones
Herlin Riley drums-set
Kirk Joseph sousaphone

Listen on Bandcamp

"Bobee (What A Spirit Walks That Way)" is Track #1 from Roger Lewis' album ALRIGHT!  "Bobee ..." is among the 11 Cascading Singles to be released by Irresistible / Revolutionary Records
on Bandcamp in the Spring of 2022.

CASCADING SINGLES
APRIL 5
"Get Your JAM On!"
Don Paul and Rivers Answer Moons
(Don Paul, Roger Lewis, Herlin Riley, Kirk Joseph,
Michael Torregano Jr., Mario Abney, and guest Erica Falls)

"Bobee (What A Spirit Walks That Way")
Roger Lewis.  
(Roger Lewis, Herlin Riley, Kirk Joseph)

APRIL 12
"Love Over War, Every Time We Play"
Don Paul and Rivers Answer Moons
with guest Erica Falls

APRIL 19
"Little Things"
Roger Lewis.  
(Roger Lewis, Herlin Riley, Kirk Joseph)

APRIL 26
"Glory Glory Glory Is For Us All"
Don Paul and Rivers Answer Moons
with guest Erica Falls

MAY 3
"Maybe You See Horses"
Roger Lewis.  
(Roger Lewis, Herlin Riley, Kirk Joseph)

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Roger Lewis, David "Fathead" Newman, Frederic Kemp
 

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Roger, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Nice, FR, 1990.
 

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Roger with great-grandchildren ... "I've always been the oldest dude in the Band."
 

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