Hello, I’m Roscoe, also known as Jan Stroup, and I’m a songwriter in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ve been working as a guitar player in the Twin Cities since 1975 and have been writing songs since the early 70’s.
Musicians call me Roscoe, although everyone else calls me Jan. My real name is often mispronounced, so here’s the right way to say it. My first name is Jan, like the abbreviation for January. It’s a northern European variation of the name John, just like Juan is a Spanish variation. It’s pronounced “yahn” in those countries, but I use the American ‘J,’ like Jan and Dean. My last name does not rhyme with soup. The ‘ou’ sound is the same as in ‘sprout’ or ‘couch.’ Stroup.
My nickname comes from a character on a TV show. If you’re a boomer, you might even remember Roscoe from the detective series 77 Sunset Strip in the sixties. I tend to wear hats like he did, so I got the nickname. I wanna be a private detective!
Musically I work as a guitar player for The Sevilles orchestra. I’ve been working for this organization since 1986 playing Motown and variety music at private functions like weddings, conventions, fundraisers and Christmas parties. If you want to check out our fine band online, visit our web site at www.musiciansunlimited.com.
My wife, Mary Jean and I have a son named Sam and a dog named Ivy. Ivy is a golden doodle, which means she’s half golden retriever and half poodle.
I have a B. A. in English from the University of Minnesota, a T. E. F. L. Certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) from Hamline University in St. Paul, and a diploma from The Dakota School of Banking in Bismarck, North Dakota. I enjoy bike riding, reading, hanging out with family and friends, snorkeling, my i-Pod, and plugging in an electric guitar. And although I’m not a great cook, I make the world’s best meat loaf! 
Go figure.
I’m also presenting a new idea, a mixed media genre that I'm calling CD Lit. This project, this idea is a dream I’ve had for many years, and the idea for it sprang from the characters in the
song Lonna With The Television On. To check out this new media and find out what it is, just click on my CD Lit page. The title of the CD Lit piece is Lonna With The Radio On, so the title is similar to the song that inspired it. “Television” is the song and “Radio” is CD Lit. Got it?!?!
