Roger Clyne, lead singer and guitarist of Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, poses on an oversized chair near Peoria Sports Complex. The band is performing a free concert in Peoria on July 4.
Roger Clyne was helping his father tend to some cattle as a third-generation rancher in Sonoita, Arizona, on a recent Friday.
The next week, he and his band — Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers — are scheduled to take the stage at Peoria’s All-American Festival at Peoria Sports Complex on July 4.
The free event, at 16101 N. 83rd Ave., starts at 5 p.m.
The All-American Festival is a billed as family-friendly event with more than a dozen water inflatables including two, 45-foot slides, live music, a cornhole tournament, food, drinks, and fireworks, according to the city of Peoria.
Clyne, a 1986 graduate of McClintock High School in Tempe, is a long-time denizen of the Valley’s music scene, having played his first gig with his band, The Mortals, in the early 1990s.
A few years later, Clyne — with his band the Refreshments — released its popular album, “Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy” in 1996 and the album title is said to pay homage to The Who’s “Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy” album.
Clyne and the Peacemakers just wrapped up their 24th year at Circus Mexicus — a music festival in Rocky Point, Mexico.
“We haven’t changed much over the years,” Clyne said. “The beer is cold and the tempo is hot.”
The Tempe resident has had plenty of success since the early 1990s. In 1999, the independent release of “Honky Tonk Union” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s internet sales chart, according to the band’s website.
Clyne wrote and performed the theme song for the Mike Judge’s animated TV series, “King of Hill,” the website said.
Locally, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers came up with the tune “D-Backs Swing” — a song the Arizona Diamondbacks use as its theme song.
“Backin’ our home team and back in the stands,” the song goes. “Let’s go — three up, three down. Get the D-Backs swingin’ and take it downtown — where it’s a going, going, gone.”
Clyne said getting to write and perform the D-Backs tune happened by chance.
“(One day), the D-Backs feller in marketing gave me a call,” Clyne said.
But Clyne said he thought Arizona Diamondback officials didn’t like his demo after he didn’t receive a phone call.
It was just the opposite. Turns out they really liked it.
“(He said they) were already playing (the song at Chase Field for home games),” Clyne said.
Now, Clyne said he is content with his independent band. He decided to make the “tough choice” of not becoming a permanent fixture in the limelight.
He’s proud to call Arizona home, he said.
“I decided I didn’t want to be part of the gristmill,” Clyne said. “...We can play where, when and what we want.”
Brent Ruffner Lead News Reporter | Phoenix @AzNewsmedia
Brent Ruffner joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2021 where he writes about developments at TSMC and Maricopa County issues, including election topics.
He's written about stories that range from accusations that a Mesa monkey breeding facility is unsafe to what to do if you encounter a rattlesnake in the desert.
Community: He is a supporter of the American Cancer Society.
Education: Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University, May 2007.
Random Fact: He met former San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays at a Phoenix Firebird game after winning a contest for an autographed baseball.
Hobbies: Hiking in the woods and collecting sports memorabilia.
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