This months “Roadie of the Month” is Rocky Harrison. Rocky is a great choice for this award as he is known worldwide as “Rock the Roadie”. Rocky also wrote a book called “The Roadie Guidebook” available at his website. Rocky is currently teaching guitars for country music superstar Alan Jackson. Rocky deals on a daily basis with electric guitars, acoustic guitars, fiddles, mandolins, tic tac or baritone guitars, pedal steel guitars, and dobros, and even the dreaded banjo.Throw in amps, keys, cables, cowbells, racks, and an occasional drum, and Rocky’s day is very busy. Rock always has a good attitude about his job and is very thorough and organized. If you attend a concert of Alan Jackson’s you will see Rocky running on stage from time to time to refill Alan’s supply of guitar picks. Alan flings 20-50 picks a show to audience members for souvenirs, so it takes a lot of picks to keep the man and the crowd happy. You can read more about Rocky and his extensive resume at his website www.rocktheroadie.com

Name / Place of Residence
William “Rocky” Harrison Louisville, Ky.

Profession/Occupation
Music Roadie/ Guitar Tech.

Current Gig / How Long?
Alan Jackson. 10 years.

Who else have you worked for?
Harry Connick Jr., Pirates of the Mississippi, John Tesh, Carrot Top

Instruments played
none

Do you write songs?
no

Place of Birth
Laffayette, Indiana

Where did you grow up?
Frankfort, Indiana

Who were your musical influences growing up?
Black Sabbath, The Doors, Beatles, Deep Purple

Who / What was the first live musical performance you experienced?
I was the lead singer for a heavy metal band right out of high school.

Rocky Passes off the Ax to AJ

What do you remember most about those performances?
I didn’t make any money but I had a great time.

Best live performance / concert you have attended? What made it special?
Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A. tour. A lot of electricity in the air that night.

What music is in your CD player or I-Pod right now?
Probably none

Tell us how you got into show business
I was the lead singer for a heavy metal band, loved it and went on from there.

What advice can you give to someone who is trying to break into show business.
Keep your nose to the grindstone, always keep learning, keep your head down.

What factors and strengths have made you so successful at your craft/job?
Learning what makes the musicians happy, learning their quirks, etc.

What has been your favorite job in show business?
I really liked working for Harry Connick, but Alan Jackson has been the best.

A Little Football with Harry Connick Jr.

What is your favorite music venue?
Royal Albert Hall in EnglandWhat is your favorite city to visit?
Louisville – It’s home

What are your future plans?
Keep doing what I do until I retire. Writing another Roadie Guidebook

Take us through a typical day on the job.
Wake up at 7 A.M. have breakfast, load in the equipment, change a million guitar strings, set up the backline – Guitar amps, pedal boards, keyboards, etc. Sound check, dinner, then the show. After the show, tear down everything I spent all day setting up, put it back in the truck. Go take a shower, eat some food, go back to bed on the bus. Then I wake up at 7A.M. in another city and do it all over again.

What kind of guitar does Alan Jackson play?
A custom Taylor 610 with a quilted maple back and sides, and what makes it really nice, in addition to its excellent sound, is it’s abalone fretboard inlay of a blue marlin fish. Man, its just gorgeous. Alan also has a backup “stock” 610.

Bonus Question: Do you own any real estate?
I own the house I live in, and I have one single family home that I rent out as an investment. Editor Note: Rocky gets bonus points for his “Roadie Retirement Plan”  read more…..

Give us some words of wisdom on any subject, or tell us something about yourself or a funny showbiz story.
I’m 43 years old and am recovering from a massive heart attack that just about took my life. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life is short and sometimes you never know when your time is up. Live life to the best and fullest that you can – Because you just never know!

Rocky with wife Brenda and buddy Tony Stephens.
I wonder if Brenda knows she has a guitar growing out of her head?
Rocky is recuperating from a heart attack he suffered in early June that almost killed him. Doctors performed CPR,shocked and revived him an amazing 43 times! Rock pulled through and is in physical therapy. He is making a miraculous recovery and will be back on the road soon. Please keep Rocky and Brenda in your thoughts and prayers.