David Rogers (musician)

[5][4] Furthermore, Rogers's mentor was David Keli'i, the steel guitar player for the Hawaii Calls radio program.

Rogers primarily played in his preferred D Major Triad tuning,[4] choosing to focus on traditional Hawaiian music, rather than the swing oriented "Waikiki" style many of his contemporaries gravitated towards.

An original member of the Sons of Hawaii[2][4][5] band, featuring Gabby Pahinui on Slack Key Guitar, Eddie Kamae on Ukulele, and Joe Marshall on Upright Bass, Rogers left an undeniable impact with his signature fingerprint on the music of Hawai'i, forever being documented as part of grassroots traditional Hawaiian music DNA in many recordings.

[5] Rogers's music was a simple pure Hawaiian style always delicately played and beautifully expressed.

[5] Sons of Hawaii did not perform when "Feet", a merchant seaman, was not in town, so great was their respect for his contribution to their sound.

"[4] When one begins to look more closely at the most significant bands of the Hawaiian renaissance, in fact, the steel guitar never entirely disappeared.

[4] When the band first formed as a 'ukulele, bass, and slack key guitar trio in 1960, the members quickly acknowledged the need for a steel player.

[4] As [Eddie] Kamae and his biographer reflected, "There is a busy, flashy way of playing steel that tries to fill each measure with as many notes as possible.

[4] [Feet's] playing and his philosophical approach perfectly suited the accompaniment of Pahinui's slack key picking and ipu-pahu rhythms, and the exquisite subtleties of their vocal performances.

[4] One observer remarked, "The inclusion of the steel guitar at a time when it was no longer popular among the Hawaiian groups was what Kamae wanted."