Buck Dharma
| Buck Dharma | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Donald Bruce Roeser |
| Born |
November 12, 1947 Long Island, New York, US |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, keyboards, vocals |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Associated acts | Blue Öyster Cult, Hear 'n Aid, The Red and the Black |
| Website | buckdharma |
| Notable instruments | |
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Gibson Les Paul Gibson SG Steinberger Kiesel Vader 6 |
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Donald Bruce Roeser (born November 12, 1947), also known by the stage name Buck Dharma, is an American guitarist and songwriter, best known for being a member of Blue Öyster Cult since the group's formation in 1967. He wrote and sang the lead vocals on many of the band's best-known hits, including "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Godzilla", and "Burnin' for You".
Roeser was born on Long Island, New York. His father was an accomplished jazz saxophonist, and Roeser spent a lot of time listening to jazz music as a result. Because of this, Roeser developed an interest in the melodic arts at a very early age. He even played the accordion for a brief period of time.
Roeser was influenced greatly by the British Invasion of 1964, and he decided to pursue rock n' roll music. He first started out playing the drums, but had to stop temporarily after breaking his wrist while playing basketball. While recovering, Roeser learned to play guitar, and found that he enjoyed it more than the drums.
During his high school years, Roeser played guitar in various cover bands. At this time, he started to develop his own signature sound by imitating his favorite guitarists and combining their sounds with his own style. Roeser attended Clarkson University in New York, and joined a band that included later bandmate Albert Bouchard. The two played together on and off during the rest of their college career. At the end, both musicians abandoned potential degrees (Roeser's in Chemical Engineering), and decided to pursue music full-time. They moved in to a band house near Stony Brook University and started their careers.
Roeser and Bouchard started the band Les Vegas in 1968. Members included keyboardist Allen Lanier, singer Les Braunstein, bassist Andrew Winters and former music critic Sandy Pearlman (their producer). In 1968, they were signed by Elektra Records after the company's president Jac Holzman saw them perform. The newly named Soft White Underbelly dropped Braunstein and added new singer Eric Bloom to their lineup. The band recorded under the name Stalk Forrest Group (after a bad gig forced them to change their name) in 1970. Elektra dropped the band because of problems with the personnel, and the album was shelved (it was eventually released in 2001 under the name St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings).
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