Paul Rodgers, frontman of such classic bands as Free and Bad Company, recently released the new album Midnight Rose. But what folks might not know is that he recorded it following a major health scare. Four years ago, Rodgers suffered several strokes, and while it was a long recovery, he says making the album helped get him through it.
“Well, it feels like being born again, actually, it’s absolutely great,” Rodgers tells ABC Audio. “I was sort of incapacitated, I guess. I hate to admit that, but it’s true. And I had to take it step by step. And everything I did was like a progress, was a step in the right direction.”
He says even the recording was part of the healing process, noting that when he started singing and playing guitar again he decided to return to the studio and see what would happen.
What happened was Rodgers was able to finish his first album of original solo material in 25 years. He shares that besides his health, it took this long because he had been busy with his solo tours, as well as touring with Bad Company and Queen.
“I kept all my ideas to myself,” he says of that time. “So when I got to when we were all in lockdown and I’d had this stroke, it was an opportunity to rest, recuperate, etcetera, and reevaluate the music that I had.”
And now that it’s out, Rodgers is hoping fans will find Midnight Rose uplifting.
“I learned from the blues that sometimes if you’re sad, it’s very good to get it out of your system by singing about it, by expressing it,” he says. “And I hope all of the above is the case with this album.”
Midnight Rose is available now.
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