Jimmie Rodgers

Source: Julia Petit

Born on 8 September 1897 in Meridian, Mississippi, yodeling Jimmie Rodgers assumes the avant-garde of country folk recording as a contemporary of the Carter Family with whom he would collaborate as well. He's not to be confused with Jimmie Rodgers of later 'Honeycomb' fame in '57.

Wikipedia has Rodgers organizing traveling shows by age 13. He nevertheless worked the railroad as a young man, both in Mississippi and New Orleans, until organizing another tent show in 1924 to tour the southeastern States. A storm wrecked his tent, putting him back with the railroad, now in Florida, until 1927 when he headed back to Meridian. Come April that year he began performing at WWNC radio in Ashville, NC. He then formed a band for the weekly 'The Jimmie Rodgers Entertainers' show.

Rodgers was paid $100 for his first recording, 'Soldier's Sweetheart' ('Sleep, Baby, Sleep' flip side on Victor 20864) on August 4, 1927, in Bristol, Tennessee. Going by Tony Russell's 'Country Music Records' (CMR), his next session on November 30 that year yielded 'Ben Dewberry's Final Run' (Victor 21245), 'Mother Was a Lady' (Victor 21433) and 'Blue Yodel' / 'Away Out on the Mountain' (Victor 21142). 'T for Texas' ('Blue Yodel No.1') sold nigh half a million copies, verily launching Rodgers' career. Distinguished from Austrian yodeling by a 12-bar blues format, Rodgers would write and record twelve more blue yodels during his brief career which he serialized as Nos. 1-13.

Rodgers' first titles in 1928 went down on February 14 and 15 as the Three Southerners with Julian R. Ninde (guitar) and Ellswort C. Cozzens (banjo): 'Dear Old Sunny South by the Sea', 'Blue Yodel No. 3', et al. The next year Rodgers featured in the short film, 'The Singing Brakeman', which may be the first reel to star a "hillbilly" musician. Wikipedia has that film released in 1929 and 1930, each a different version with differing credits. Howsoever, 'The Singing Brakeman' is the only known footage of Rodgers performing.

June and July of 1930 found Rodgers out west in Hollywood in another country atmosphere where country western would find home not much later via country swing. While there, Rodgers put down titles like 'My Blue Eyed Jane' (Victor 23549) from 30 June 1930 to 'The Pullman Porters' (unissued) on 17 July. More significantly, Rodgers' trip to Hollywood witnessed jazz seeping into country already.

Alvin Carter composed 'Why There's a Tear in My Eye'' for a duet by Rodgers and Sara Carter on June 10 of 1931 in Louisville, KY (Bluebird 6698). That session also included 'The Wonderful City', the only gospel that Rodgers recorded [mrblindfreddy]. Rodgers joined Mother Maybelle & the Carter Family for three unissued tracks on the 11th for 'Jimmie Rodgers Visits the Carter Family' and 'The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers in Texas'. Those were recorded again on the 12th to get issued per Victor 23574 and Bluebird 6762.

Rodgers had long since struggled with tuberculosis. He made his final recordings May 17 through May 24 of 1933 in New York City. Sessions began with such as 'Blue Yodel No. 12' / 'The Cow Hand's Last Ride' (Victor 24456). Among titles on the 18th was 'Last Blue Yodel (No.13). Sessions were finished on the 24th with 'Years Ago' (Bluebird 5281) wrapping it up as Rodgers' last recording.

Rodgers died two days later on May 26, 1933. He had composed extensively, from such as 'A Drunkard's Child' and 'Any Old Time' in 1930 to 'Somewhere Down Below the Mason Dixon Line' and 'Sweet Mama Hurry Home Or I'll Be Gone' in 1933.