James Rogers was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on December 22, 1949 without any trace of a silver spoon. But Hershel and Elizabeth Rogers gave their son a healthy respect for hard work and music.

The Rogers family and friends used music to escape the drudgery of working at a textile mill. James' father played the steel guitar and his mother often sang with her sisters. Other family members played a number of instruments or sang harmony. Occasionally, they performed at church or gathered at home to sing and play-just expressing their love of music.

After James started school at East Lake Elementary in Chattanooga, he was chosen to represent his class in a talent show. For the first time, James Rogers met his public.

In 1958, the Rogers family moved across the Tennessee state line to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where James' parents still live. The family joined the First Baptist Church and the children entered Fort Oglethorpe Elementary.

James' older brother, John, become the school Rome