By Jeb Wright, Editor Classic Rock Revisited Brilliant Simplicity is the term I use to describe the music of Foghat. As a band, they do not try to dazzle you with their virtuosity,or baffle you with their bullshit. Instead they simply rock you to your core and put a smile on your face. Foghat cooks up a unique bluesy, rock and roll stew served with a side dish of boogie. Their music is a culmination of three, sometimes, four chords, thousands of guitar licks, riffs, slide notes and solos, grooving bass lines and good time melodies, with fun lyrics and killer vocals all held together by a backbeat as steady as the finest made Swiss watch. The man responsible for that beat is Foghat founding member and drummer Roger Earl. It was Earl along with guitarist/vocalist Lonesome Dave Peverett who had the wherewithal and the guts to leave the successful band they were in, Savoy Brown, back in 1970. With Lonesome Dave out front, slamming out the songs and energizing the crowd, it was Earl’s job to keep the train rolling forward. Foghat became one of the most successful rock acts of the 1970s. While there were hard times ahead, Earl always believed in the band’s music. Despite the devastating losses of both Lonesome Dave and Rod Price, Earl has continued to rock for the past 13 years with Lonesome Dave’s good friend and hand-picked replacement, Bryan Bassett, on guitar and ex-Ted Nugent / Humble Pie vocalist and guitarist Charlie Huhn. In 2005, Veteran Foghat bass player, Craig Macgregor returned, reuniting the incredible Rhythm Section. He first joined Foghat in ‘75 and appeared on the classic albums Night Shift, Foghat Live, Stone Blue, Boogie Motel and many others. Earl’s mission is to not only keep Foghat’s music alive, but to write and record new music and new live performances. This music, this band, the fans and the Foghat legacy are very important to him, as they define him as a musician, as well as a human being. Back in ‘75, when the band recorded the iconic album Fool for the City,Earl had no way of knowing that he would create one of the most famous drum intros in the history of rock and roll. With seven solo thumps of his foot pedal and floor toms, he introduced the world to the song “Slow Ride.” He has since ridden the Foghat wave into rock and roll history. Brilliant Simplicity indeed!