[2] Unable to pursue his education further due to lack of funds, by the 1940s he had moved to Freetown and was living with an elder brother whilst employed as an apprentice tailor.
After mastering both skills he set up his own travelling tailor's shop, and having earned money from this during the day, he would provide free musical entertainment at night.
[3][4][5] After being told incorrectly by a cousin that in the Kenyan Army he would be given the opportunity to study music in England or the United States, Rogie duly enlisted, but served only eleven months of the six years he signed up for.
In 1965 he formed a band called The Morningstars, but lost over half his financial investment in the venture when the musicians he assembled were made a better offer and left after just two months.
[1] A looped guitar sample from Rogie's 1962 song "Please Go Easy with Me", originally recorded in 1960 at his makeshift home studio, features on the track "Rich Man" from New York rock band Vampire Weekend's fourth album, Father of the Bride (2019).