Roland Bennett

Roland Bennett was born on July 4, 1931 in Topeka, Kansas. His group The Rockin' Whalers were an African-American r&b band from Topeka, Kansas, active in the 1950s through the early 1980s. Roland served as bandleader and saxophonist of the group, joined by Roland’s younger brother Dick Bennett (also known as ‘Sweet Root’ or ‘Daddy Sweet Root’) on vocals, harmonica, and bass. Born into a musical family through their pianist father Roland H. Bennett Sr., Roland Jr. and Dick both took up music in school. Roland Jr. mastered both the tenor and baritone saxophones and played in a U.S. Army band during the 1950s. The Rockin' Whalers started around 1951 and played a hybrid form of musical styles that were popular at the time, drawing from the blues, boogie woogie, swing and dancehall traditions, also gospel music. As the 1950s advanced, they utilized the rock ’n’ roll beat popularized by Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. The band began their musical journey playing local gigs at high school dances, local clubs, community social events, and neighborhood gatherings in and around Topeka. The band was usually booked throughout the year and played all around Missouri, Nebraska, and Illinois. The group released three singles on three different labels spread across the United States; Shelley Records out of Long Island, NY, Vantage from Albuqueque, NM, and Central Records out of Kansas City, Missouri.