Nile Rogers

Nile Gregory Rodgers (1952) is a multiple Grammy award winning American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist. He is the lead guitarist and co-founding member with Bernard Edwards of the band Chic, which has been active since 1976.

Rodgers was born in New York City. He began his career as a session guitarist in New York, touring with the Sesame Street band in his teens led by Joe Raposo, and then working in the house band at Harlem’s world famous Apollo Theater, playing behind Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Maxine Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Betty Wright, Earl Lewis and the Channels, Parliament Funkadelic, and many other legendary R&B artists.

In his teens Rodgers was a member of the Harlem chapter of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. He remains friendly with numerous former Panthers, including Professor Jamal Joseph.

Although he recorded three solo albums during the 1980s and 1990s, and one as part of the short-lived group Outloud, Rodgers has found more success in collaboration as producer and performer with many artists including Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Madonna, INXS and more recently, Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Avicii, Disclosure and Sam Smith.

Nile Rogers is one fantastic role model for beret wearers - hardly ever going without a beret and in all colours imaginable.