Donald Roeser
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Donald Roeser (born November 12, 1947), known professionally as Buck Dharma, is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the sole constant member of hard rock band
Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island, New York, in the hamlet of Stony Brook, in 1967. They have sold 25 million records worldwide, including 7 million in the United States. ...
since the group's formation in 1967. He wrote and sang vocals on several of the band's best-known hits, including "
(Don't Fear) The Reaper "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is a song by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult from the 1976 album '' Agents of Fortune.'' The song, written and sung by lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, deals with eternal love and the inevitability ...
", "
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
" and "
Burnin' for You "Burnin' for You" is a song by American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult. It was released as the lead single from the band's eighth studio album ''Fire of Unknown Origin'', released in June 1981, where it was the album's second track. The song wa ...
".


Early life

Roeser was born in
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
, New York City. His father was an accomplished
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
, and Roeser spent a lot of time listening to jazz music as a result. Because of this, Roeser developed an interest in the melodic arts at an early age, even playing the accordion for a brief time. Roeser was influenced greatly by the British Invasion of 1964, and decided to pursue
rock-and-roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African American music such as jazz, rhythm and ...
music. He first started out playing the drums, but had to stop temporarily after breaking his wrist playing basketball. While recovering, Roeser learned to play guitar, and found he enjoyed it more than the drums.


Career


Early career: 1961–1967

During his high-school years at Smithtown Central High School, Roeser played guitar in various
cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of c ...
bands. At this time, he started to develop his own signature sound by imitating his favorite guitarists and combining their sounds with his own style. Roeser attended
Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York. Clarkson has additional graduate programs and research facilities in the New York Capital District. It was established in 1896 and enrolled over 4 ...
(then Clarkson College) in New York, and joined a band that included later bandmate
Albert Bouchard Albert Bouchard (; born May 24, 1947) is an American musician. He is a founding member and one of the first and most prominent drummers of the hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult and current drummer of The Dictators. He is the older brother of f ...
. The two played together on and off during the rest of their college career. At the end, both musicians abandoned potential degrees (Roeser's in
chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...
), and decided to pursue music full-time. They moved into a band house near
Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...
, where Roeser was a part-time student, and started their careers.


Soft White Underbelly: 1967–1971

Roeser, Lanier, Bouchard and Andrew Winters formed the band Soft White Underbelly in 1967. Members included singer Les Braunstein, and former music critic
Sandy Pearlman Samuel Clarke "Sandy" Pearlman (August 5, 1943 – July 26, 2016) was an American music producer, artist manager, music journalist and critic, professor, poet, songwriter, and record company executive. He was best known for founding, writing for, ...
(their producer). Roeser was enrolled in a communications course, but quit after Soft White Underbelly was formed because he wanted to "stop wasting isparents’ tuition money". In 1968, they were signed by
Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...
after the company's president
Jac Holzman Jac Holzman (born September 15, 1931) is an American record executive. He is the founder of the record labels Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records. Holzman helped commercially launch the CD and home video formats, as well as the pilot program wh ...
saw them perform. The band dropped Braunstein and added new singer
Eric Bloom Eric Jay Bloom (born December 1, 1944) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-lead vocalist, guitar and keyboard/synthesizer player for the long-running band Blue Öyster Cult, with work on more than 20 albu ...
to their lineup, changing their name to Stalk-Forrest Group after a bad gig in 1970. Elektra dropped the band because of problems with the personnel, and the album was shelved (it was eventually released in 2001 under the name '' St. Cecilia: The Elektra Recordings'').


Blue Öyster Cult: 1971–present

Roeser, along with Bouchard, Lanier, Pearlman, Bloom, and new member bassist
Joe Bouchard Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage, based on the novel ''Joe'' (1991) by Larry Brown * Joe (2023 film), an Indian film * ''Joe'' (TV se ...
(younger brother of Albert Bouchard) reformed with the name
Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island, New York, in the hamlet of Stony Brook, in 1967. They have sold 25 million records worldwide, including 7 million in the United States. ...
. They signed with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
in 1971, and released four albums between 1972 and 1975. By Blue Öyster Cult's fifth album ''
Agents of Fortune ''Agents of Fortune'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on May 21, 1976 by Columbia Records. The Platinum-selling album peaked at No. 29 on the U.S. Billboard chart, while the cryptic single "(Don't Fe ...
'' in 1976, Roeser proved himself as a songwriter and vocalist with the band's signature song "
(Don't Fear) The Reaper "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is a song by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult from the 1976 album '' Agents of Fortune.'' The song, written and sung by lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, deals with eternal love and the inevitability ...
". As a result, Roeser's songwriting and vocals were more prevalent on the follow-up albums '' Spectres'', ''
Mirrors A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...
'', '' Cultosaurus Erectus'' and ''
Fire of Unknown Origin ''Fire of Unknown Origin'' is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on June 22, 1981. It was produced by Martin Birch. The album, which included the Top 40 hit " Burnin' for You" (#1 on Billboard's Album ...
''. Most significantly, he penned and sang the hits "
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
" and "
Burnin' for You "Burnin' for You" is a song by American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult. It was released as the lead single from the band's eighth studio album ''Fire of Unknown Origin'', released in June 1981, where it was the album's second track. The song wa ...
". In 1982, Roeser recorded and released '' Flat Out'', his first and only solo album to date. The tracks were all composed by Roeser (some co-written with
Richard Meltzer Richard Meltzer (born May 10, 1945) is an American rock critic, performer, writer and songwriter. He is considered by some rock historians to be the first to write real analysis of rock and roll and is credited with inventing "rock criticism". ...
, Neal Smith and Roeser's wife Sandy), with the exception of "
Come Softly to Me "Come Softly to Me" is a popular song recorded by The Fleetwoods, composed of Gretchen Christopher, Barbara Ellis, and Gary Troxel, who also wrote it. The original title was "Come Softly", but was changed en route to its becoming a hit. Bob Reis ...
", a song originally recorded by
the Fleetwoods The Fleetwoods were an American vocal group from Olympia, Washington, whose members were Gary Troxel (born November 28, 1939), Gretchen Christopher (born February 29, 1940), and Barbara Ellis (born February 20, 1940). Early history The band ...
. The songs on the album were ones Roeser wanted to record with BÖC, but were perceived as too poppy by the other members of the band. Singles from the album were "Born to Rock" and "Your Loving Heart", both of which had music videos made but neither song charted. The video for the former was part of an MTV promo along with
Blotto Blotto may refer to: * Blotto (biology), a reagent used in immunological assays * Blotto, a colloquial term meaning drunkenness * ''Blotto'' (film), a 1930 Laurel and Hardy short comedy film * Blotto (band), an Albany, NY, rock band in the late ...
's "Metalhead" clip, in which Buck made a cameo appearance, as well as playing guitar on the song. Roeser and Blue Öyster Cult subsequently recorded several more albums that flopped commercially, but contained several of Roeser's compositions and many tracks with him on lead vocals. The band's commercial struggles, along with the loss of original members Albert Bouchard (1981) and Allen Lanier (1985), prompted Blue Öyster Cult to break up in mid 1986. In 1985, Roeser and Bloom participated in Hear 'n Aid, a project created by
Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hel ...
to raise money for famine relief in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. It included many famous heavy metal musicians. Hear 'n Aid recorded the song "Stars", which includes a guitar solo by Roeser. Hear 'n Aid also released a compilation album which included "Stars", as well as live outtakes from the participating artists. In 1988 Blue Öyster Cult released ''
Imaginos ''Imaginos'' is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult. It was released in 1988, and was their last recording with their original record label, CBS/Columbia Records. The album took nearly eight years to complete ...
'', which was recorded between 1982 and 1988. The record was originally planned to be a concept album by former drummer Albert Bouchard, based on Sandy Pearlman's poetry. At the insistence of Columbia Records, it was released under the band's name. Despite largely positive reviews, the album did not do well commercially, and the band was dropped by Columbia. This was the last album featuring all the original members, as the Bouchards left at the end of production. In 1988, Roeser formed the Red and the Black with Jon Rogers (bass and vocals) and Ron Riddle (drums and vocals). The band recorded demos but was not signed by a record company and never released an album. As a result, the band split quickly. In 1989, Roeser contributed the instrumental "Gamera is Missing" to the album ''Guitar's Practicing Musicians Volume 3'' (later included on the CD re-release of ''Flat Out''). Dharma in 2006 After releasing ''Imaginos'', Roeser, Bloom and Lanier continued to tour as Blue Öyster Cult, with various musicians on bass and drums. In 1992, the band wrote the score for ''
Bad Channels ''Bad Channels'' is a 1992 American science fiction spoof direct-to-video film, produced by Full Moon Features and released by Paramount Home Video. It is about two aliens (Cosmo and Lump) who invade a radio station with the intention of captur ...
'' and composed two original songs for its soundtrack. In 1994, Blue Öyster Cult released ''
Cult Classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...
'', an album containing remakes of their greatest hits. In the late 1990s, Blue Öyster Cult signed with
Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is, as of 2013, a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest ...
, and released two studio albums and one live album between 1998 and 2002, after which the band was dropped by the label. Roeser continues to tour extensively with the band, and in December 2012 reunited for a final time with all of the original members for the band's 40th Anniversary Concert. On January 1, 2015, Roeser released "Fight", an original song, on his
SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
account. It is his first new material since 2001. The song was later re-recorded with Blue Öyster Cult, appearing on their fifteenth album ''
The Symbol Remains ''The Symbol Remains'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released on October 9, 2020. The album title comes from a lyric in the song "Shadow of California" on the band's 1983 LP '' The Revölution by Night''. ...
'' (2020). Roeser appears on the song "Metalhead" by the comedy-rock group
Blotto Blotto may refer to: * Blotto (biology), a reagent used in immunological assays * Blotto, a colloquial term meaning drunkenness * ''Blotto'' (film), a 1930 Laurel and Hardy short comedy film * Blotto (band), an Albany, NY, rock band in the late ...
and appears in the song's video, watching television. In July 2024, Roeser released a video for a new song, "The End of Every Song" on Youtube.


Personal life

In 2002, Roeser and his wife created "The Dharmas", a web series exclusively featured on Roeser's website. The web series is a comical, fictionalized view into the life and times of the Roeser family. In 1996, Roeser heard about Ricky Browning, a 10-year-old fan of Roeser's "Godzilla" who was battling a brain tumor. Roeser organized a benefit concert to help with the family's medical costs. Roeser, his wife Sandy, drummer
John Miceli John Miceli (born May 29, 1961) is the drummer for Meat Loaf's backing band, the Neverland Express. He formerly played with Rainbow. Meat Loaf Miceli began touring with Meat Loaf in 1991 and was a part of the Neverland Express when '' Bat Out ...
and bassist Danny Miranda played the concert under the name "Buck Dharma Band". Roeser taped the concert and released a video of it, which includes the story of Browning. Browning eventually succumbed to his illness. The Roesers still have a close relationship with the Browning family.


Equipment

Roeser uses the
Gibson SG The Gibson SG is a solid-body electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1961, following on from the 1952 Gibson Les Paul. It remains in production today in many variations of the initial design. SG stands for "solid guitar". Origins The S ...
and numerous
Steinberger Steinberger is a series of distinctive electric guitars and bass guitars, designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. The name "Steinberger" can be used to refer to either the instruments themselves or the company that originally p ...
models. One of his Steinberger guitars has a custom body made to look like Swiss cheese; Dharma calls this guitar his "Cheeseberger". His other equipment use includes: a Giuliano Balestra Vulcan, a
Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corpora ...
, a St. Blues and custom models built by Rick Kresiak, Harper Guitars and Warren Guitars. Many of his guitars were made by White Plains-based custom guitar maker Giuliano. In August 2015 Dharma became an endorser of
Kiesel Guitars Kiesel Guitars is an American manufacturer of custom electric guitars and electric bass guitars located in Southern California, with a heritage dating back to 1946. In 2015, Kiesel Guitars split from Carvin Corporation, taking the guitar and bas ...
and played a headless Vader 6.


Stage name

Roeser got the stage name "Buck Dharma" in the late 1960s. Manager Sandy Pearlman came up with the idea of creating eccentric stage names for Blue Öyster Cult's members. Every member rejected their new stage name except for Roeser, who liked the name and the idea of having an alternate persona.


Discography


Studio albums

*'' Flat Out'' (1982)


Singles

*''Born to Rock'' (1982) *''Your Loving Heart'' (1982) *''End of Every Song'' (2024)


References


External links


Buck Dharma Dot Com, Roeser's official website

Official Blue Öyster Cult Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dharma, Buck 1947 births People from Long Island American heavy metal guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters American male songwriters Blue Öyster Cult members Living people American lead guitarists Guitarists from New York (state) American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Writers from New York (state) 21st-century American guitarists 20th-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Psychedelic rock musicians