Jimmie Rodgers
James Charles Rodgers ((1897-09-08)September 8, 1897 – (1933-05-26)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. Rodgers was known as "The Singing Brakeman" and "America's Blue Yodeler". He has been cited as an inspiration by many artists, and he has been inducted into multiple halls of fame. Originally from Meridian, Mississippi, Rodgers was the son of a railroad worker. During his early childhood, the family moved according to the needs of his father's employment, or Rodgers' own poor health. As a teenager, he was musically influenced by the diverse vaudeville shows that he often attended. At the age of 13, Rodgers won a local singing contest, and then traveled through the Southern United States with a medicine show. After his father took him back home to Meridian, Rodgers dropped out of school and joined the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, starting as a waterboy. He eventually became a brakeman, among performing other functions. During his time working with different railroad companies, the singer further developed his musical style; he was influenced by the gandy dancers and their impromptu blues performances. Rodgers was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1924. By 1927, he stopped working for the railroad as a result of his health and decided to focus on his music career. In 1927, Rodgers joined the Tenneva Ramblers band, who at the time were working at a radio station. After the band was fired from their spot, they worked in different resorts in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There, Rodgers became aware of the field recordings that Victor Talking Machine Company's engineer Ralph Peer was to undertake in Bristol, Tennessee. During what later became known as the Bristol sessions, Rodgers recorded solo, as he was deserted by his band after a disagreement. A second session with Rodgers was later arranged in Camden, New Jersey, at the singer's own insistence; that session produced "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)". The song became a success, propelling Rodgers to national fame and beginning his recording career with the label, during which he produced over 100 songs. |
Birth and Death Data: Born September 8, 1897 (Meridian), Died May 26, 1933 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1921 - 1951
Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor vocal, songwriter, composer, lyricist, guitar, arranger, speaker, ukulele, author
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 187 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | BVE-47216 | 10-in. | 10/20/1928 | Blue yodel no. 4 | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | lyricist, vocalist, tenor vocal, composer | |
Victor | BVE-47223 | 10-in. | 10/22/1928 | Waiting for a train | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter | |
Victor | BVE-47224 | 10-in. | 10/22/1928 | I'm lonely and blue | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter | |
Victor | BVE-48336 | 10-in. | 2/6/1929 | I'm in the jailhouse now | Boyd Senter ; Senterpedes | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | BVE-48384 | 10-in. | 2/21/1929 | Desert blues | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer, vocalist, tenor vocal | |
Victor | BVE-48385 | 10-in. | 2/21/1929 | Any old time | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter | |
Victor | BVE-48432 | 10-in. | 12/5/1928 | My little old home down in New Orleans | Tal Henry ; North Carolinians | Jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
Victor | BVE-49990 | 10-in. | 2/23/1929 | Blue yodel no. 5 | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with guitar | lyricist, vocalist, tenor vocal, composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-49991 | 10-in. | 2/23/1929 | High powered mama | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with guitar (self-accompaniment) | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | BVE-49992 | 10-in. | 2/23/1929 | I'm sorry we met | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | PBVE-54849 | 10-in. | 6/30/1930 | My blue eyed Jane | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter | |
Victor | PBVE-54850 | 10-in. | 6/30/1930 | Why should I be lonely? | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with yodeling and instrumental quartet | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter | |
Victor | PBVE-54851 | 10-in. | 6/30/1930 | Moonlight and skies | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter | |
Victor | PBVE-54852 | 10-in. | 7/1/1930 | Pistol packin' papa | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, tenor vocal, instrumentalist, guitar, songwriter | |
Victor | PBVE-54854 | 10-in. | 7/2/1930 | Take me back again | Jimmie Rodgers | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter | ||
Victor | PBVE-54855 | 10-in. | 7/5/1930 | Those gambler's blues | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, tenor vocal, arranger | |
Victor | PBVE-54856 | 10-in. | 7/7/1930 | I'm lonesome, too | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet (Hawaiian) | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter | |
Victor | PBVE-54857 | 10-in. | 7/7/1930 | The one rose (That's left in my heart) | Lani McIntire's Hawaiians ; Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet (Hawaiian) | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
Victor | PBVE-54860 | 10-in. | 7/8/1930 | For the sake of days gone bye | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble (Hawaiian) | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter | |
Victor | PBVE-54861 | 10-in. | 7/10/1930 | Jimmie's mean mama blues | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | vocalist, tenor vocal, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | PBVE-54862 | 10-in. | 7/11/1930 | The mystery of number five | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, tenor vocal, composer, instrumentalist, guitar, lyricist | |
Victor | PBVE-54863 | 10-in. | 7/11/1930 | Blue yodel no. 8 | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, tenor vocal, composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | PBVE-54864 | 10-in. | 7/12/1930 | In the jail-house now, no. 2 | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with guitar | vocalist, tenor vocal, composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
Victor | PBVE-54867 | 10-in. | 7/16/1930 | Blue yodel no. 9 | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with cornet, guitar, and piano | vocalist, tenor vocal, composer, lyricist | |
Victor | BVE-55307 | 10-in. | 8/8/1929 | Everybody does it in Hawaii | Jimmie Rodgers | Male vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | vocalist, tenor vocal, songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Rodgers, Jimmie," accessed April 25, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105649.
Rodgers, Jimmie. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/105649.
"Rodgers, Jimmie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 25 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Jimmie Rodgers
Discogs: Jimmie Rodgers
Allmusic: Jimmie Rodgers
Grove: Jimmie Rodgers
IMDb: Jimmie Rodgers
Britannica: Jimmie Rodgers
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Rodgers, Jimmie, 1897-1933 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n87824037
Wikidata: Jimmie Rodgers - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q366358
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/74038753
MusicBrainz: Jimmie Rodgers - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/394492c0-cecf-40a8-b676-0e5706317fab
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