Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)

Not to be confused with Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer).


Rodgers in 1931

Background information
Birth name: James Charles Rodgers
Born: September 8, 1897; Meridian, Mississippi, U.S.
Died: May 26, 1933 (aged 35); New York City, New York, U.S.

Website: www.jimmierodgers.com

James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmic yodeling. Unusual for a music star of his era, Rodgers rose to prominence based upon his recordings, among country music's earliest, rather than concert performances – which followed to similar public acclaim.

He has been cited as an inspiration by many artists and inductees into various halls of fame across both country music and the blues, in which he was also a pioneer. Among his other popular nicknames are "The Singing Brakeman" and "The Blue Yodeler".

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Legacy


Jimmie Rodgers monument in Meridian, Mississippi

When the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1961, Rodgers was enshrined alongside music publisher and songwriter Fred Rose and iconic singer-songwriter Hank Williams. Rodgers was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and, as an early influence, to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. "Blue Yodel No. 9" was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Rodgers was ranked No. 33 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003.

Meridian, Mississippi's Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Festival has been held annually during May since 1953 to honor the anniversary of Rodgers' death.

A song "Chemirocha III" collected by ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey in 1950 from the Kipsigis tribe was written in honor of Jimmie Rodgers. The song's title is an approximation of the musician's name. According to legend, tribe members were exposed to Rodgers' music through British soldiers during World War II. Impressed by his yodeling, they envisioned Rodgers as "a faun, half-man and half-antelope."

Both Gene Autry and future Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis (said to have been author of "You Are My Sunshine" ) began their careers as Jimmie Rodgers copyists, and Merle Haggard, Hank Snow, and Lefty Frizzell later did tribute albums. Haggard's, titled Same Train, A Different Time: Merle Haggard Sings The Great Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers, was released in 1969. Haggard also covered "No Hard Times" and "T.B. Blues" on his best-selling live albums Okie from Muskogee (1969) and Fightin' Side of Me (1970). Ernest Tubb considered Rodgers an idol and began each episode of his radio show Midnite Jamboree with a Rodgers recording, a tradition that the Jamboree has continued after Tubb's death.

Rodgers' "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" was covered by Lynyrd Skynyrd on its live album One More from the Road. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant was quoted at a July 13, 1977 concert in Asbury Park, New Jersey as saying that the band had "always been interested in old country music" like Jimmie Rodgers and Merle Haggard before launching into playing "T For Texas".[21] Lynyrd Skynyrd has also named both Haggard and Rodgers in their song "Railroad Song" ("I'm going to ride this train, Lord, until I find out, what Jimmie Rodgers and The Hag was all about" ). Tompall Glaser also covered the song on country music's first million-selling album, Wanted! The Outlaws.

Rodgers' "T for Texas" was featured in The Beatles Anthology documentary as Jimmie was one of George Harrison's early influences.

Rodgers' finger picking technique and vocal arrangements had a major influence to a young John Fahey. His reaction to hearing "Blue Yodel No. 7" inspired him to become a guitar player. "It reach out and grabbed me and it has never let go of me."

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Fri Sep 8, 2023: On this day, September 8, 1897, Jimmie Rodgers was born.

Thu Sep 8, 2022: On this day, September 8, 1897, Jimmie Rodgers was born.

Wed Sep 8, 2021: On this day, September 8, 1897, Jimmie Rodgers was born.

Jimmie Rodgers - Waiting for a Train/Daddy andHome/BlueYodel
887,077 views Oct 14, 2007

Mike *--_--*
2.49K subscribers

Early rural and popular American music, 1928-1935

Jimmie Rodgers "Mule Skinner Blues" (1930)
407,548 views Mar 23, 2013

Mark Parker
14.6K subscribers

"Mule Skinner Blues" (a.k.a. "Blue Yodel #8", "Muleskinner Blues", and "Muleskinner's Blues" ) is a classic country song written by Jimmie Rodgers. The song was first recorded by Rodgers in 1930 and has been recorded by many artists since then, acquiring the de facto title "Mule Skinner Blues" after Rodgers named it "Blue Yodel #8" (one of his Blue Yodels).

Good morning captain
Good morning shine
Do you need another muleskinner
Out on your new mud line

Yodel

I like to work
I'm rolling all the time
I can pop my initials
On a mule's behind

Yodel

Hey little water boy
Bring that water round
If you don't like your job
Set that water bucket down

Yodel

Workin' on the good road
Dollar and a half a day
My good girl's waiting on a Saturday night
Just to draw my pay

Guitar

I'm going to town, honey
What you want me to bring you back?
Bring a pint of booze
And a John B Stetson hat

Yodel

I smell your bread a-burning
Turn your damper down
If you ain't got a damper, good gal
Turn your bread around

Yodel

The Fendermen - Mule Skinner Blues
229,250 views Mar 29, 2010

John1948FourD
11.3K subscribers

Formed in 1959 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, the Fendermen were a trio best known for the 1960 US chart Top 5 rock n roll adaptation of the Jimmie Rodgers country standard Muleskinner Blues. The group consisted of guitarists Jim Sundquist and Phil Humphrey (both 26 November 1937, Sundquist in Niagara, Wisconsin, USA, and Humphrey in Stoughton, Wisconsin, USA) and drummer John Howard, of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA. The two guitarists, who preferred the Fender brand of electric guitar, hence the name of the group, recorded Muleskinner Blues initially for the small Cuca label. It was picked up by the somewhat larger Minnesota-based Soma Records and became a hit in May 1960. (Howard was added at that time, for live appearances.) The group recorded one album for Soma, now a valued rarity in the USA, and continued together until 1966, with no other chart successes.

Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.

1534 Jimmie Rodgers and Carter Family - In The Jailhouse Now and Wildwood Flower
278,642 views Dec 8, 2015

Ranch Radio
10.6K subscribers

There's such a huge selection of music on YouTube that Ranch Radio tends to focus on the rare or hard to find tunes. But last night we got a request for two classics - In The Jailhouse Now and Wildwood Flower. Here are the original versions of these tunes by Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. Both tunes were recorded in Camden on Feb. 15, 1928 and May 10, 1928, respectively. This Special Edition goes out to Jim Holder. The Westerner http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/