Jimmie Rodgers (country musician)
James Charles "Jimmie" Rodgers (born September 8, 1897 , probably in Pine Springs north of Meridian , Mississippi , † May 26, 1933 in New York ) was a blues musician. He is considered the first big star of country music , alongside the Carter Family . He was one of the first artists to incorporate yodels into American folk music, was nicknamed Singing Brakeman and America's Blue Yodeler, and is now known as The Father of Country Music .
Life
Childhood and youth
Jimmie Rodgers was born on September 8, 1897, the youngest of three sons - likely near Meridian, Mississippi. After his mother's untimely death, he was raised by relatives in Mississippi and Alabama. Eventually Rodgers returned to his father, Aaron Rodgers (and his second wife), who worked as a foreman at the Mobile and Ohio Railroad . Jimmie Rodgers, who had already started singing and playing the guitar as a child, won a talent competition when he was twelve and decided to make a living with music.
His father first brought him up with the railroad. Jimmie Rodgers worked there for several years in various jobs - including as a brakeman on the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad , which earned him the nickname "Singing Brakeman". In addition to his work, he used every opportunity to make music and improve his technique and style. He used the experiences from these years again and again in his songs. In 1924, Rodgers contracted tuberculosis at the age of 27 , had to quit his job on the railroad, and tried hard to keep himself afloat with music and the occasional job.
Career
In 1927 he played for the music producer Ralph Peer , who was looking for rural talent who could be marketed. A single was produced that made Rodgers $ 27. His next recording, T For Texas (Blue Yodel No.1) , was a top hit, selling over a million copies - an extraordinary success for the time. In 1928, more Blue Yodels were recorded. One of his most famous titles - In The Jailhouse - also dates from that year.
Jimmie Rogers quickly became a star. His records sold very well, the concerts were mostly sold out. Under the constant strain, his health began to deteriorate further. He spent the money with full hands, bought a luxurious mansion and the most expensive cars. So he was forced to keep producing more records and giving concerts.
death
The global economic crisis that followed the stock market crash of 1929 exacerbated his situation because the population no longer had any money for records and concert tickets. In early 1933 Rodgers ran into serious financial difficulties and, despite his serious illness, was forced to seize every opportunity to make money. After a breakdown, he decided to have one last recording session. A bed was set up in the studio and a nurse was present. Jimmie Rodgers recorded the last twelve pieces of his life. He died two days later, on May 26, 1933, at the age of 35.
Influence and musical work
His career had only lasted six years. Still, the "Singing Brakeman" had a significant impact on all country musicians who came after him. Virtually every star of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s referred to Jimmie Rodgers. The mostly self-written texts of his songs went far beyond the usual hillbilly themes. He was one of the first country performers to incorporate personal experience into their songs. The best known example is the TB Blues . He also broke away from his predecessors stylistically. He used blues and jazz elements and developed the American yodelling to the Blue Yodel . In 1997 Bob Dylan released a tribute album on which well-known musicians interpret Rodgers songs; Dylan himself contributed My Blue Eyed Jane and an accompanying text. The title of Dylan's album Rough and Rowdy Ways (2020) is also borrowed from Jimmie Rodgers.
Discography
Singles
| year | title | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCA Victor | |||
| 1927 | Sleep Baby Sleep / The Soldier's Sweetheart | ||
| 1928 | / Away Out in the Mountain | ||
| 1928 | Ben Dewberry's Final Run / In the Jailhouse Now | ||
| 1928 | Blue Yodel No. II (My Lovin 'Gal Lucille) / The Brakeman's Blues (Yodeling the Blues Away) | ||
| 1928 | Treasures Untold / If Brother Jack Were Here | ||
| 1928 | Blue Yodel No. 3 / Never No Mo 'Blues | ||
| 1928 | My Little Old Home Down in New Orleans / Dear Old Sunny South by the Sea | ||
| 1928 | Memphis Yodel / Lullaby Yodel | ||
| 1929 | My Old Pal / Daddy and Home | ||
| 1929 | / | see Waiting for a Train | |
| 1929 | I'm Lonely and Blue / The Sailor's Plea | B-side as "Jimmie Rodgers with the Three Southeners" | |
| 1929 | My Little Lady / You and My Old Guitar | ||
| 1929 | My Carolina Sunshine Girl / Desert Blues | ||
| 1929 | Blue Yodel No. 5 / I'm Sorry We Met | ||
| 1929 | Frankie and Johnny / Everybody Does It in Hawaii | ||
| 1930 | Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues / My Rough and Rowdy Ways | ||
| 1930 | Blue Yodel No. 6 / yodeling cowboy | ||
| 1930 | Whisper Your Mother's Name / A Drunkard's Child | ||
| 1930 | Train Whistle Blues / Jimmie's Texas Blues | ||
| 1930 | Hobo Bill's Last Ride / That's Why I'm Blue | ||
| 1930 | Any Old Time / Anniversary Blue Yodel No. 7th | ||
| 1930 | High Powered Mama / In the Jail-House Now — No. 2 | ||
| 1930 | Those Gambler's Blues / Pistol Packin 'Papa | ||
| 1931 | Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues) / Jimmie's Mean Mama Blues | Mule Skinner Blues later covered by Bill Monroe ; u. a. Hit for The Fendermen and Dolly Parton | |
| 1931 | Nobody Knows But Me / The Mystery of Number Five | ||
| 1931 | TB Blues / Mississippi River Blues | ||
| 1931 | Jimmie the Kid (Parts of the Life of Rodgers) / My Blue Eyed Jane | ||
| 1931 | Travellin 'Blues / I'm Lonesome Too | ||
| 1931 | Blue Yodel No. 9 (Standin 'on the Corner) / Looking for a New Mama | ( Blue Yodel No. 9 with Louis Armstrong ) | |
| 1931 | Jimmie Rodgers Visits the Carter Family / Moonlight and Skies | with the Carter Family | |
| 1931 | What's it? / Why Should I Be Lonely? | ||
| 1931 | Let Me Be Your Side Track / Rodgers' Puzzle Record (This record contains 3 songs) | ||
| 1932 | Gambling Polka Dot Blues / When The Cactus Is in Bloom | ||
| 1932 | Roll Along Kentucky Moon / For the Sake of Days Gone By | ||
| 1932 | My Time Ain't Long / Ninety-Nine Year Blues | ||
| 1932 | Home Call / She Was Happy Till She Met You | ||
| 1932 | Blue Yodel No. 10 (Ground Hog Rootin 'in My Backyard) / Mississippi Moon | ||
| 1932 | Down the Old Road to Home / Hobo's Meditation | ||
| 1932 | Rock All Our Babies to Sleep / Mother, the Queen of My Heart | Rock All Our Babies to Sleep by Riley Puckett | |
| 1932 | In the Hills of Tennessee / Miss the Mississippi and You | ||
| 1933 | Whippin 'That Old TB / No Hard Times | ||
| 1933 | Gambling Bar Room Blues / Long Tall Mama Blues | Gambling Bar Room Blues covered by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band (The Penthouse Tapes, 1976) | |
| 1933 | Peach Picking Time Down in Georgia / Prairie Lullaby | ||
| 1933 | The Land of My Boyhood Dreams / Southern Cannon-Ball | ||
| 1933 | Mississippi Delta Blues / Old Pal of My Heart | ||
| 1933 | I'm Free (From the Chain Gang Now) / The Yodeling Ranger | ||
| 1933 | Cowhand's Last Ride / Blue Yodel No. 12 | Limited Edition Picture Disc | |
| Bluebird | |||
| 1933 | Gambling Barroom Blues / Looking for a New Mama | at Bluebird Records released | |
| 1933 | Sweet Mama Hurry Home / Barefoot Blues (Blue Yodel No. 12) | ||
| 1933 | Mother, the Queen of My Heart / Peach Picking Time Down in Georgia | Republication | |
| 1933 | Old Pal of My Heart / Mississippi Moon | Republication | |
| 1933 | Old Love Letters / Somewhere Down below the Mason Dixon Line | ||
| 1933 | Jimmie Rodgers' Last Blue Yodel / Years Ago | ||
| 1935 | Why Did You Give Me Your Love / I've Ranged, I've Roamed, I've Traveled | ||
| 1935 | My Good Gal's Gone Blues / Blue Yodel No. 11 | ||
| 1937 | The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers in Texas / Where Is My Sailor Boy? | A-side with the Carter Family; B-side from the Monroe Brothers | |
| 1937 | I've Only Loved Three Women / That Wonderful City | B-side with the Carter Family | |
| Montgomery Ward | |||
| 1937 | Yodeling My Baby Back Home / Dreaming with Tears in My Eyes | ||
| 1937 | One Rose / Yodeling My Baby Back Home | ||
| 1938 | Take Me Back Again / Dreaming with Tears in My Eyes | A-side with Lani McIntire's Hawaiians | |
Albums
- 1952 : Memorial Album No. 1
- 1952 : Memorial Album No. 2
- 1952 : Memorial Album No. 3
- 1952 : Travelin 'Blues
- 1956 : Never No Mo 'Blues
- 1958 : Train Whistle Blues
- 1960 : My Rough and Rowdy Ways
- 1960 : Jimmie the Kid
- 1962 : Country Music Hall of Fame
- 1963 : Short But Brilliant Life
- 1964 : My Time Ain't Long
- 1965 : The Best of the Legendary
- 1973 : This Is Jimmie Rodgers
- 1975 : All About Trains (with Hank Snow )
- 1978 : A Legend Performer
- 1992 : The Singing Brakeman (6-CD work edition by Bear Family Records )
Honors
- Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1961)
- Induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1970)
- Induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1970)
- Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986)
- Induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame (1998)
literature
- Melvin Shestack: The Country Music Encyclopaedia . Omnibus Press, London / New York / Sydney 1977, ISBN 0-86001-308-1 , pp. 235-239.
- Barry Mazor: Meeting Jimmie Rodgers. How America's Original Roots Music Hero Changed The Pop Sounds Of A Century . Oxford University Press, Oxford (NY) 2009, ISBN 978-0-19-532762-5 .
- Jocelyn R. Neal: The Songs Of Jimmie Rodgers. A Legacy In Country Music . Indiana University Press, Bloomington (Indiana) 2009, ISBN 978-0-253-35315-3 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Jimmie Rodgers in the catalog of the German National Library
- Jimmie Rodgers in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Jimmie Rodgers at Discogs (English)
- Mule Skinner Blues (Engl.)
- Official website (English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Barry Mazor: Meeting Jimmie Rodgers, p.12: "James Charles Rodgers was born on September 8, 1987, in Pine Springs, Mississippi, not far from the rising rail road town of Meridian ..."
- ↑ jimmierodgers.com and other sources give Meridian as the place of birth
- ^ Jimmie Rodgers in the Find a Grave database . Retrieved September 7, 2017. ; Rodgers himself stated that he was born in Geiger, Alabama.
- ↑ Barry Mazor: Meeting Jimmie Rodgers, p.42: “... there was no musical fact more shaping of Jimmie Rodgers 'music and his lasting image than the fact that he was a blues singer.” (' ... no musical The fact determined Jimmies Rodgers music and his image in the long run more than the fact that he was a blues singer. ')
- ^ The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers. A Tribute , featuring David Ball , Dickey Betts , Bono , Mary Chapin Carpenter , Iris Dement, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle , Jerry Garcia , Alison Krauss , John Mellencamp , Van Morrison , Willie Nelson , Aaron Neville , Dwight Yoakam , Columbia 1997; to Heinrich Detering : Bob Dylan. Stuttgart 2016, p. 140.
- ↑ https://www.nzz.ch/feuilleton/bob-dylan-der-amerikanische-hamlet-liefert-ein-meisterwerk-ld.1561781
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rodgers, Jimmie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Rodgers, James Charles |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 8, 1897 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Meridian , Mississippi , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 26, 1933 |
| Place of death | new York |