Jimmie Rodgers

James Charles Rodgers (Pine Springs, Mississippi, 8 september 1897 - New York, 26 May 1933) was the very first country-superstar. He was known as "The Singing Brakeman" and "The Blue Yodeler". He grew up in Meridian, Mississippi, and went to work at a very early age to the rail lines. He kicked it there eventually to inhibitor, a very dangerous and highly specialized function. The air brakes were yet, and the train had to stop the inhibitor on the (moving) train from wagon to wagon jumping to hand the mechanical brakes run of each wagon.

When Rodgers got tuberculosis, he was forced to leave the railways, and he took a variety of jobs, from police detective to street musician. In 1927 he responded to an ad by Ralph Peer of Victor Talking Machine Company, also if the same ad where the Carter Family at the same time responded. He was allowed to audition and there was an album recorded, the beginning of his great success.

He wrote most of his songs himself. The texts were about his own experiences: love songs, songs about the heavy life and on the railways.

Despite the fact that there were many rising stars in that period, distinguished Rodgers himself by his unique voice. He had a huge range, and a very powerful voice. His YODEL arts were second to none, and his were very complex and ingenious jodels were in each other. The accompanying music to his songs was always perfect on the content aligned. Rodgers also played the guitar usually and often with Louis Armstrong.

MENU    0: 00 Blue Yodel No.1 by Jimmie RodgersRodgers brought twelve songs entitled "Blue Yodel" followed by the numbers 1 to 12. "Blue Yodel No. 1" is the most well-known, with the text "T for Texas, T for Tennessee". Actually, it was Rodgers a white blues singer, he sang traditional blues lyrics and accompanied herself with a blues guitar. Are therefore seemed nothing like the jodels Austrian or Swiss jodels, but were actuallyfalsetto-blues riffs that were displayed with the voice.

Some famous songs of Rodgers are "Waiting for a Train" (1929), "In the Jailhouse Now" (1928, 2nd implementation 1930), "Jimmie the Kid" (1931), "Mule Skinner Blues" (1931), "Miss the Mississippi and You" (1932), "Looking for a New Mommy" (1931), "Jimmie's Mean Mama Blues" (1931), and "Train Whistle Blues" (1930). He took a total of 113 songs on which turned out to be timeless. His musical career lasted only six years, Rodgers died on the tuberculosis in the Taft Hotel in New York. He was only 35 years old.

Rodgers made his last recordings in the week before he died. He was confined to his bed for several years by the tbc, and also had to always rest between takes.

When in 1961 the Country Music Hall of Fame was established, it was Rodgers one of the first three that there was honored. He was also immortalized in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and his song "Blue Yodel No. 9" is number 23 in the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". In 1970, he was inducted into theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.