Roger Squitero is skilled in both electronic and traditional percussion, and it is his talent and passion for playing that has led him to work with artists ranging from the Rolling Stones to Spyro Gyra to Whitney Houston, Squitero admits that his entry into the world of percussion was a late one, although it hasn't held him back from becoming a respected and accomplished musician. "When I was 17 or 18 years old, I used to go down to a park in Washington D. C., where I grew up," he said. "I would just listen to the guys playing in the park and I got inspired to learn."



From Washington D.C., Roger Squitero then traveled to San Francisco and studied with percussion master, Armando Peraza. Roger credits Armando with having a huge influence on his playing.



In 1977, after playing with local Salsa and Brazilian bands, Roger Squitero decided to move to the Big Apple. His decision to move to NYC proved to be a great career move because one of his first gigs was with Dave Valentin. This resulted in his playing on five of Valentin's albums and on many of his tours. Since that time, Roger has recorded and played with an impressive list of musicians, which includes Dave Grusin; Susan Vega; Luther Vandross, Blondie, Marc Anthony, Angel Bofil, Vanessa Williams, Whitney Houston, Chaka Kahn, Grover Washington, Gregory Hines Michael Franks, Herbie Mann and Cindy Lauper.



Engagements have included playing percussion for Broadway shows such as "The Civil War, "BKLYN the Musical" and "The Big Deal", and playing in the house band for the Apollo's 70th year anniversary celebration featuring: Patti Austin, Patti Labelle, Gerald Levert, Brian McKnight, Harry Connick Jr., Herbie Hancock, Natalie Cole and many other notable artists.



Roger Squitero still performs with Vanessa Williams and recently joined Ron Carter's Quartet. Squitero plays almost any type of percussion, although congas remain his favorite instrument.