Saying ‘goodbye’ to Johnny Roquemore of the Apostles of Bluegrass as he leaves Georgia

Before he slips away, it’s worth noting Johnny Roquemore is leaving Georgia to resettle in Washington state.

If you follow area bluegrass, you’ll know him from the popular band Johnny Roquemore and the Apostles of Bluegrass. You’ll know he’s lead Apostle, lead singer and writes the majority of their mostly quirky songs. You’ll also know he has a huge, engaging personality, bigger even than his massive white beard and the cowboy hats he typically wears.

You’ll know, too, that between his gregarious nature and big, booming voice it’s likely a tie.

Too much? Too fanboy?

Well, if you’ve seen or met Roquemore you’ll know he is unique and part of it comes from his being solidly over-the-top. So why not let a description of him run the same course?

Apostles bandmate Dave Ross makes no bones that, “Johnny Roquemore is The Apostles and the Apostles are Johnny Roquemore.”

“There are a lot of things you can say about Johnny – and some of them are good,” Ross said with typical Apostles’ humor. “But seriously, we may not be the most well-known band or proficient musicians around but we do have a way of connecting with audiences and having a lot of fun. Johnny has a real gift of being able to connect.”

Ross said with Roquemore its both nature and nurture, part personality and part honing his craft as an entertainer.

Hitchhiking to LA

Roquemore said he learned a lot about connecting with people and audiences from his first job in Los Angeles after hitchhiking there from Atlanta in his early 20s.

He said he had been working mostly as an actor in Atlanta and wanted to do the same in Hollywood.

Things worked out differently.

“I got a job as a singing waiter at a well-known restaurant called the Great American Food & Beverage Company,” he said. “A lot of people worked there who became famous, like actor-singer Katey Sagal who starred in ‘Married … with Children.’ The tips were good and I did well but I had to learn to take orders, sing and play, serve the food and keep everybody happy all at the same time.”

And he said he had to do it over and over and over at table after table night after night. Having a booming voice didn’t hurt in the noisy restaurant nor did the fact he could also play a mean harmonica to diner’s delight.

He met his wife to be, Vicki, at the restaurant. They not only married but he joined with her in her work boarding, raising and training horses, his second life-long passion and career.

Returning to Georgia

The two stayed in California for 30 years before returning to Georgia in 2002 to take care of the family farm in Mansfield just outside Atlanta after Roquemore’s mother died and father had a heart attack.

What was to be a short stay turned into almost 20 years but now the Roquemores want to get back out west.

There’s family there in Washington and room for horses.

Getting back to things you may or may not know about Roquemore, there’s the fact he’s a seventh-generation native Georgian whose family has lived on that farm since 1784. There’s an estate sale there last weekend and the property sale should be final next week.

Other things:

• While in California, the Roquemore’s had horses on land in Malibu and their neighbors included Barbara Streisand and Don Henley.
• Musically, Roquemore has recorded more than 30 solo albums, five with the Apostles, written more than 400 songs and has had songs in television shows and movies, including “Texas Chainsaw Massacre II.”
• He won the Georgia State Harmonica Champion title three times and Acoustic Guitar Magazine chose him winner of its first-ever songwriting competition.
• While in California Roquemore took grand prize on the original “Gong Show” with Chuck Barris.

So yes, Roquemore’s music and career have been on the quirky side.

“I never pursued a big recording contract or to be the biggest star,” he said. “But I’ve been a working musician, attained most everything I set out to do and made a lot of music. And I think I made a lot of people happy. That’s made me happy.”

Sadly, because of COVID-19 there’s no farewell performance planned for the Apostles. It and the average 40 gigs a year they do were wiped out. But the Apostles will carry on locally with various members of Georgia’s bluegrass family of artists sitting in.

Ross said he and fellow Apostle John Nipper will still play a lot of Roquemore’s songs and Roquemore will be back to do a few major shows each year.

Roquemore and the Apostles’ website is at johnnyroquemore.com and there are links there to his Facebook page and videos on YouTube, including his “Gong Show” appearance.

A final note: due to COVID-19 surge concerns, local organizers have decided to cancel planned live showings of films at the Douglass Theatre from the Sundance Film Festival the last weekend of January. Virtual films are still available online with information on Sundance’s website at sundance.org.

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.

This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 11:23 AM.