Roger C. Field
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roger C. Field (born July 31, 1945), is a prolific inventor (with over 100 patents), award winning industrial designer, and a well known guitarist. He is best known as the inventor of the Foldaxe folding electric guitar featured in guitarist Chet Atkins' book "Me and My Guitars" and several hundred press articles. He has also been written about in Playboy Magazine in ten countries (also in Penthouse Magazine four times in Europe) and is in four different Who's Who books in Europe including one for the entire EU.
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[edit] Early Life
Field was born in London, England, the son of Dr. Harry and Ingeborg Field. He attended The King's School, Canterbury from 1958-1960, then Aiglon College in Switzerland. In 1968 he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from the California College of the Arts (formerly CCAC). In 1969, he filmed the college in 16mm (titled "To Be An Artist") which included poet Michael McClure, an English professor at CCAC at the time. The film was later shown on TV. Field then moved to Munich to work on the newly formed Airbus project, contributing significantly to the interior design of the aircraft.
[edit] Foldaxe
It was during his design of passenger seats for the Airbus that Field had the idea in 1975 for a folding electric guitar which he named "Foldaxe," for transporting as hand luggage under an aircraft seat. (Field flew on the Concorde from New York to Paris on September 30, 1987 with one of his folding guitars as hand luggage, becoming the first person to play the guitar through the sound barrier).
Chet Atkins bet Field in 1975 while visiting Atkins in Nashville that he could not design a folding guitar without the string tension changing and going out of tune. A friend of Atkins for 35 years, Field can also be credited with the teaming of Atkins and singer Suzy Bogguss on TV and recordings by suggesting to Atkins in 1991 while they were in Issoudun in France, that Atkins record and perform with a female singer "with a sexy voice" (Field had Les Paul and Mary Ford in mind), to which Atkins replied "That's a good idea!" Les Paul also wished Field luck with the Foldaxe, in writing. Chet Atkins appeared with Les Paul on television with the Foldaxe on Jane Pauley's "The Today Show" and Atkins demonstrated it on "Entertainment This Week," (now titled "Entertainment Tonight"). The Foldaxe won the Designer's Choice Award sponsored by I.D. (magazine) in 1980 for the entire USA. Industrial design icon Raymond Loewy sent Field a letter congratulating him on the design of the Foldaxe.
It has been played and admired by countless famous musicians and personalities who have been photographed with it, such as Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Hank Marvin, Paul McCartney and David Copperfield to name just a few. Chet Atkins owned three and Albert Lee and James Burton each have one.
[edit] Musician
Field is known as a guitar stylist and has played the guitar with Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and other famous players, also becoming a friend of jazz guitar legend Wes Montgomery in San Francisco in 1967 who assisted Field with his guitar playing. Marcel Dadi, the French guitar legend, composed and recorded the tune "Roger Chesterfield" for him on one of his records.
Field was the instigator, starting in 2001, of the reunion of The Shadows, Britain's premier guitar band and singer Cliff Richard's former band.
[edit] Miscellaneous
In addition, he is known worldwide in the press as a former friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger who helped Schwarzenegger with English in Munich in 1968.
Field is currently engaged in marketing a new professional 35mm movie camera concept which he invented for cinema. He received the written approval of director Richard Lester and a letter wishing him success from Sir Roger Moore. Field's interest in professional movie camera design, in which he is an expert, began in 1967 during the filming of "Petulia" (released in 1968) in San Francisco, when he first became acquainted with Richard Lester and Julie Christie (with whom he has corresponded over the years).
Field is related to actor/producer Henry Winkler (The Fonz) and Dr. Leo Baeck.
[edit] References
- Photos of celebrities with Foldaxe. Photos of Field playing guitar with Chet Atkins and Merle Travis, also a recording of Travis and Field.
- Handwritten letter from Raymond Loewy commending Field on the design of the Foldaxe and photos of Field with Loewy.
- Over nine hundred press articles about Field, many about Field and Arnold Schwarzenegger, including ten Playboy Magazine and four Penthouse Magazine articles, four different European Who's Who books with entries of Roger Field, all verifiable by Field.
- Letters from Richard Lester and Sir Roger Moore for Field's camera invention. Correspondence from the Aaton film camera company in France supporting the project.
- California College of the Arts (CCAC) film with Field's name in the credits as director etc.
- Concorde air ticket made out to Field. 1980 Designers Choice Award certificate.
- Video of Chet Atkins with Foldaxe on TV, photos of Atkins with Foldaxe. Letters from Atkins.
- CD "Simpatico (Atkins/Bogguss)" with Chet Atkins and Suzy Bogguss.
- Newspaper article with Jet Harris of The Shadows about Field reuniting the band, other articles. Letter to Field from Henry Winkler's parents. Private family photos of Dr. Leo Baeck.
- Chet Atkins demonstrating Foldaxe on You Tube "Chet At His Home."
- The King's School, Canterbury school photo.
- Photos of Field with Albert Lee and James Burton, Guitar Player magazine article.
