Prior to Roogalator, Adler had also played with Smooth Loser, a band formed with Jeff Pasternak, the brother of BBC disc-jockey Emperor Rosko.
Mortimer returned to Adler for an early incarnation of Roogalator before leaving to join Ian Dury in Kilburn and the High Roads .
Roogalator played their first live show in November 1972, at a talent night staged at the Marquee Club in London to muted response.
He returned to London to form the second line-up of Roogalator with drummer Bobby Irwin, pianist Steve Beresford and keyboardist Nick Plytas, both of whom went on to play on numerous On-U Sound Records roots reggae and dub albums, including releases by Singers & Players and African Head Charge.
[2] In early summer 1976, Roogalator signed a one-off single deal with Stiff Records and released "All Aboard"/"Cincinnati Fatback".
The band played at ‘Front Row Festival’, a three-week event at the Hope and Anchor, Islington, in late November and early December 1977.
The Hope & Anchor Front Row Festival compilation LP (March 1978) reached number 28 in the UK Albums Chart.
[3] When Plytas left, the band opted not to replace him and continued to gig as a trio, releasing in 1978, one more single, "Zero Hero" and demoing a second album.