Stroger was born on a farm outside of
Hayti, Missouri. In 1955, he relocated with his family to Chicago, Illinois. He toured Europe with Rush and played on two of his albums,
Live in Europe and
Lost in the Blues. Stroger next was a
session musician for a while. He worked with
Sunnyland Slim In 1997, he played bass on
Golden "Big" Wheeler's album
Jump In. The following year, he played with a group of musicians at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland. This led to the recording of his debut solo album,
In the House: Live at Lucerne, Vol. 1, on which he was accompanied by
Ken Saydak and
Billy Flynn. In 2007, Stroger recorded
Bob Is Back in Town in Chicago, backed by
Steve Freund (guitar),
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (harmonica),
Deitra Farr (backing vocals), and
Juli Wood (baritone saxophone). He also played on Willie "Big Eyes" Smith's albums
Born in Arkansas (2008) and
Joined at the Hip (with
Pinetop Perkins, 2010). In 2011, the
Blues Foundation presented Stroger with a
Blues Music Award in the category Best Blues Bassist. He was nominated in the same category in 2013. He won the Best Bassist Award again in 2013. He was named to the
Blues Hall of Fame in 2025. ==Discography==