Rogers Stevens was born in West Point, Mississippi, United States, where he grew up with future Blind Melon bandmates Glen Graham and Brad Smith. He was forced to take piano lessons by his mother as a child, and in his high school years, Brad Smith taught Stevens how to play the guitar. Smith and Stevens played together in various cover bands while in high school.\n', '

When first beginning to play the guitar, Stevens\' early influences were hard rock bands, such as AC/DC and Van Halen, as well as classic rock bands such as The Rolling Stones and R.E.M. When forming the Blind Melon sound, he had been listening to bands such as Cream and Led Zeppelin. He has stated that he enjoys listening to bands such as The White Stripes, Muse, and Tool, among others. He also cites jazz as a major influence.\n', '

In 1988, Rogers and Smith left Mississippi for Los Angeles, California to pursue their musical interests. Once in Los Angeles, they played in many bands together that did not last more than a few weeks. It was during one of these stints that Brad met future Blind Melon rhythm guitarist Christopher Thorn. Rogers called Glen Graham to come out to Los Angeles to be the band\'s drummer. After auditioning many singers the band met fellow member Shannon Hoon at a party through a mutual friend. During his audition, he played his song "Change" on acoustic guitar, and the band immediately picked him.\n', '

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