An accomplished trombonist, conductor, pianist, and arranger, Bill Rogers graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1956 and later from Lamar University. Even as a student, his talent was well known throughout the community. He taught trombone to younger musicians, took on arranging projects for local and college ensembles, and quickly earned a reputation as one of the area’s most gifted young performers.

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Rogers went on to build a long and impressive career arranging and conducting on the Las Vegas scene, including work with the house band that backed Frank Sinatra. He arranged or conducted for some of the most iconic entertainers of the era, among them Jerry Lewis, Shirley MacLaine, Tony Bennett, Johnny Carson, Bill Cosby, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Jr., and Bob Hope, as well as many others.

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To his fellow professionals, Bill Rogers was respected as a superb bass trombonist, a sharp and inventive arranger, and a quintessential “Las Vegas” big band leader. His arrangements remain widely performed by professional ensembles, military bands, college programs, and high school groups across the country.

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Rogers left Las Vegas in 2003 as smaller touring acts—such as those of Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers—began dominating showroom schedules. He then devoted much of his time to arranging and conducting for Frank Sinatra, Jr. In a special tribute to his hometown, Rogers also wrote a symphonic arrangement combining all the Port Arthur high school fight songs for a class reunion—an enduring gesture of pride and affection for the community that shaped him.