Legendary Singer-Songwriter & Musician Coming To Charleston With Fellow Classic Rockers Kansas

Jeff Walker,  Entertainment Writer

Without question Blue Öyster Cult (BOC) have become one of rock n' roll's most enduring bands. With their beginnings dating back to the late 1960's, BOC have sold 25 million records worldwide, including 7 million in the United States alone. And although they may have enjoyed a cult following early on, the success of '(Don't Fear) The Reaper', 'Godzilla', and 'Burnin for You' have cemented the band in rock n' roll history, with all three songs continuing to be played on classic rock radio formats.

Despite several band member changes, original guitarist and lead singer Donald Roeser known professionally as Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom (rhythm guitar, lead vocals, & keyboards) remain as the two driving forces in the band. 

77 years young, Dharma sees no reason to slow down. "I'm still good at it, and part of me enjoys the applause. I like hearing the audience clap and get into the music. As long as I can still do it at a high quality I'll be out there. When the time comes that I can't do it at that level I'll gladly give it up."

During their 55 year musical journey BOC have been labeled psychedelic, acid rock, heavy metal, progressive rock, and hard rock. Dharma doesn't necessarily agree with all the genres. "It's hard trying to label us. We certainly wouldn't be lumped in with the heavy metal that followed well after us. I definitely like to think we are a rock n' roll band that likes to rock hard."

He goes on to say. "I think during our formative years, the five of us each brought in our own musical interests. When we became Blue Öyster Cult it was much more an eclectic mix. We wanted to put out LP's that were listenable." He adds, "The idea that we would put 10 songs that were the same on a album is abhorrent."

Born in the late 1940's Dharma came of age during the 1950's and was first influenced by his parents music. "I was born in 1947, part of that post WWII baby boom. My parents were into jazz. My dad was a sax player. He worked for the defense department so he played mostly on weekends, at weddings and in clubs."

While Dharma admits to appreciating their music, like many youngsters his own tastes changed as he was growing up. "My parents weren't into rock n' roll. However, they did buy me the occasional Elvis Presley single." His love for the new genre greatly increased after the British Invasion hit America. "Seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964 was a game changer, not only for me but for many young musicians and artists."

Dharma draws an interesting parallel between the two experiences. "No one imagined they could be the next Elvis after seeing him on Ed Sullivan. There was something different about Elvis. He was an idol. But a lot of us, including me thought we could be rock stars after seeing The Beatles, simply because we related more to them." Initially a drummer, Dharma switched to guitar after a wrist injury. "Maybe fate, but I do love the guitar more than playing drums."

After a short stint with Elektra Records under the name Soft White Underbelly, and a few member changes including current and original lead singer Eric Bloom, the band was signed to Columbia Records based on the approval of Clive Davis, the president of the label.

During the transitional period former band manager Sandy Pearlman had an idea of creating eccentric stage names for Blue Öyster Cult's members. While the rest rejected the ideas Roeser admitted he liked an alternate persona, thus becoming Buck Dharma. "It seemed cool to me. Looking back I like wearing two different hats."

As for the band becoming known professionally as Blue Öyster Cult, that too was from the mind of Pearlman. In his poetic imagination, the 'Blue Oyster Cult' are a group of aliens who had assembled secretly to guide Earth's history. History has it most of band members weren't thrilled with the name, but in keeping with the record label release they went with it. "We batted several band names around at the time, and that is the only one that landed. Seems appropriate now."

Despite initially not having Top 40 success Dharma admits the record label and Davis saw potential in the band. "I'll give Columbia their due. We signed a seven album deal. They worked with us, and quite frankly we worked hard for them. They were really good at artist development."

Dharma breaks in down. "We weren't delivering gold and platinum records right out of the gate, but they sold well enough. Our first release (self-titled) sold around 100K. Our second (Tyranny and Mutation) maybe sold 200K, with the follow up 'Secret Treaties' selling around 300K." The latter album would eventually garner gold status in 1992.

The band's fortunes and outlook changed in 1975 with the release of 'On Your Feet or on Your Knees', their first live album. Among the 12 tracks include three each from the previous albums as well as a cover of Steppenwolf's 'Born to be Wild', and 'Buck's Boogie', an original instrumental that remains a staple of the band's live shows to this day. "That was our first to go gold."

The surprise of the live album was only heightened with their next release. 'Agents of Fortune' (1976), was their first to go platinum, much to the success of '(Don't Fear) The Reaper'. The song reached #7 in Cash Box and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that year. It remains among Rolling Stone's Top 500 songs of all time, and is their biggest commercial hit overall. 

Dharma who wrote and sang lead on the single sensed it had potential. "I knew right away it was a strong album cut." Still, given their previous recordings, he didn't envision it being a pop hit. "We never considered ourselves a Top 40 band. From a financial viewpoint we certainly welcomed the commercial success, as I'm sure Columbia Records did as well."

According to Dharma it all played out in an unconventional way. "'Reaper' really broke out in secondary markets. FM radio was ascending at the time, so radio stations were adding it to their playlists. I give Columbia a lot of credit. They really helped push the single. Naturally it brought us a bigger following."

A year later (1977) the tongue and cheek single 'Godzilla' off the band's fifth studio album 'Spectres' became a sleeper hit on FM and mainstream rock radio stations. The guitar laden track is a tribute to the popular movie monster of the same name, and remains a staple during live performances.

Dharma who admits to being a fan of monster movies recalls how it came about. "I wrote the bones of the song in a hotel room in Dallas. I came up with the guitar riff, and I was thinking of Godzilla as a piece, and how to sum up the moral lesson of the character." He and Bloom would share lead vocals on the track.

The two would create a parody 'NoZilla' of their mega song, after their original recording was absent on the soundtrack from 1998 'Godzilla' movie reboot. However, the popularity of the song has continued to live on in pop culture, with several bands covering the song, as well as the New York Yankees using it as the walk up song for Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui during his time (2003-09) with the team. "It's been good to me, and the longevity of the band.

BOC's second biggest hit 'Burnin' for You' came in 1981 off their eighth studio album 'Fire of Unknown Origin'. Co-written by Dharma and rock critic Richard Meltzer the single topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart and peaked at #40 on the pop charts. While Bloom sings lead on a majority of the band's songs, Dharma again sang lead on the track. 

The success of 'Burnin' for You' was further fueled by the popularity of MTV (Music Television). The new music video format was launched not two months after the release of BOC's latest single. "It was our very first video ever, and we filmed two in one day. The second was for 'Joan Crawford'. Oddly enough I didn't have cable TV at the time so I had a buddy record the video on VHS so I could see it for the first time."

Dharma admits to having mixed feelings about music videos. "I understand the attraction on some level, but when that format was introduced the audio became more of an accompaniment to the song. Viewers became more interested in the visual rather than the audio. From my own experience I like to imagine the song and any imagery in my head alone. That allows me several versions of how the song plays out based on he lyrics."

While 'Godzilla', 'Burnin' for You', and '(Don't Fear) The Reaper' continue to play on classic rock radio formats the latter has been immortalized due to the April 2000 Saturday Night Live skit 'More Cowbell'. The six-minute sketch written by Will Ferrell presents a fictionalized version of the recording of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" on an episode of VH1's Behind the Music.

Although the skit takes a few factual liberties, the famous quote "I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!" offered up by actor Christopher Walken as the song's producer has become apart of Americana. Dharma had mixed reactions to the skit. "I definitely like it, but initially I thought it would add a creepy vibe to the song. In hind sight it's only added to the popularity. Sadly, it's been somewhat of an albatross for Christopher, but for us we just ride the horse. It's been great publicity for BOC."

Dharma would like to take away one nugget from the 'More Cowbell' skit if he could. "Ferrell has joined several bands over the years on stage playing cowbell. I'd welcome him joining us sometime. I think it would be great for him, the band, and the audience." 

The last four decades have been a roller coaster ride for BOC. They've survived several band member changes, enjoyed a short term hiatus, and released an additional eight studio albums including 'Ghost Stories' in 2024. Through it all Dharma and Bloom are the two mainstays. "We're bandmates but we're more like brothers. And as long as we still like what we're doing, we'll be out on the road."

The 2025 road pairs them with fellow 1970's rockers Kansas ('Dust In the Wind', 'Carry on  Wayward Son'). The two bands will perform live on Saturday October 18th at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Dharma admits it's a good pairing. "Their song catalog is awesome, and they are still doing it at a high quality. It's an ideal show for fans of both bands." 

While Dharma says it's been a while since BOC have played Charleston, he does have vivid memory of an earlier concert in Charleston. "Don't recall the actual date, but it was in the 70's. We played the Citadel and Charleston had a freak snowstorm hit. The city didn't have any snow plows, so we were stranded in the hotel for two days. We ended up walking around town and finally taking an Amtrak out of town." He adds, "I love Charleston. It's a charming city with a lot of history."

Donald Roeser aka Buck Dharma, his fellow bandmate Eric Bloom and the rest of Blue Öyster Cult will once again return to Charleston when they perform Saturday October 18th alongside Kansas at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. For tickets visit https://www.northcharlestoncoliseumpac.com/events/detail/kansas-blue-oyster-cult