Although music was a major part of his life, he exhibited an athletic prowess as the state high school wrestling champ, which earned him a scholarship to Indiana State University. He initially declined, due to his mother’s failing health. It was; however, among her deepest and final wishes before her death that he pursue a higher education and so he became a member of the Indiana State student body.


It was there he began exploring the songwriting aspect of his musical abilities, fronting The Maurice Rodgers Combo on Wurlitzer piano. Performing a mix of R&B covers and Rodgers’ own Ray Charles/Otis Redding inspired tunes, the band was the high point of Saturday night frat parties. With music as his guide, Rodgers traded in his schoolbooks for a one-way ticket to L.A. where he gigged with T-Bone Walker, Albert Collins, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Jimmy Reed, and many others. That’s his Farfisa organ on Brenton Wood’s 1967 hit, "Gimme Some Kind Of Sign."

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