FEATURE
WILL IT PLAY IN PEORIA? ROGER THAT! Guy Arseneau
From left to right are Roger Kelch, Tony Shaw on drums,
Steve Foster (center) on guitar and Jerry Foley (far right) on bass guitar.
It is a city of countless punch lines and the
the rhetorical mantra behind almost every new
of reference continues to be reflected by and
subject of constant jokes. Yet it is also the heart
entertainment venue, social trend, advertising
flourishing in the city’s commitment to country
and center of America. In a culture dominated
campaign and political movement in America.
music. Nowhere is this more apparent than
by high finance on Wall Street and high living
in the talent and virtuosity of guitar player/
on Rodeo Drive, the opinions and sentiments
Founded in 1691 and situated on the banks
collector Roger Kelch. A well-known figure
expressed by the folks on the main streets of
of the Illinois River, this urban center with a
at Bogie’s, Peoria’s intimate and down home
Peoria, Illinois consume and concern politicians,
population of 115,000, is the oldest European
country music bar, Kelch utilizes his musical
celebrities and advertising tycoons throughout
settlement in the state of Illinois. Peoria’s
skills and collectible guitars to entertain patrons
the United States. “Will it Play in Peoria?” is still
reputation as Middle America’s cultural point
at this 80 seat lounge that caters to those who
enjoy, in his words, “The type of music found in
the songs of Patsy Kline, Eric Clapton and the
musical group Cream.”
A one-time employee of Caterpillar, Inc. and
currently the owner, along with his wife, Denise,
of a flourishing company that designs and
installs marine fabrications for luxury boats,
Kelch states his commitment to music began
in childhood. “When I was in grade school,” he
recalls, “a neighbor boy and classmate of mine
brought a guitar to school and gave a concert,
so to speak, in the auditorium. Seeing the way
the girls swooned over him, I knew that playing
music was going to be a way of life for me.”
Committed to the allure of stringed instruments,
photos: Joseph Costantino
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continued on page 30
Nov Dec 2016
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