On this day (September 8) in 1897, James Charles Rodgers was born in Meridian, Mississippi. He spent his teens and early twenties working on the railroad. He took inspiration from Black blues musicians, vaudeville acts, and the medicine show with which he traveled. In 1927, he was one of many artists who flocked to Bristol, Tennessee, to participate in what is now known as the Bristol Sessions for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Before long, Jimmie Rodgers was the biggest star in the emerging genre called country music.
Videos by American Songwriter
The Bristol Sessions are commonly called The Big Bang of Country Music. However, the genre didn’t start there. Long before Ralph Peer traveled to Bristol, Tennessee, to record the likes of the Carter Family, the Stonemans, and Jimmie Rodgers, the precursor to country music was ringing through the hills and hollers of Appalachia and from front porches and railroad cars across the United States. The Victor Talking Machine Company simply allowed those who performed what was then called “hillbilly music” to record it. These sessions were the beginning of the commercialization of the country’s folk traditions.
Many came to Bristol with versions of Appalachian folk songs. Some blended those mountain sounds with blues and styles learned from Black musicians. Rodgers, though, had gathered inspiration from across the country. His sound was blues combined with early jazz, yodeling, and folk music. This blend of sounds made him stand out from the popular music and other hillbilly singers of the day. The two songs he recorded that day, “The Soldier’s Sweetheart” and “Sleep, Baby, Sleep,” sold well enough to land him future recording sessions with Peer.
The Impact of Jimmie Rodgers
After his first recordings sold well, Jimmie Rodgers began recording his famous Blue Yodels. Over the course of his all-too-short career, Rodgers recorded 13 Blue Yodels. A few remain popular today. For instance, recorded “Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)” in 1928. It has been recorded countless times under the title “T for Texas.” Dolly Parton had a top-five hit with “Blue Yodel No. 8 (Mule Skinner Blues)” in 1971.
Rodgers also popularized songs like “Miss the Mississippi and You,” “In the Jailhouse Now,” and “Roll Along Kentucky Moon.”
The list of artists who took influence from Rodgers is long and full of legends. Gene Autry, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Ernest Tubb, Hank Snow, Bill Monroe, Tanya Tucker, Hank Williams, and many others are on that long list
Hillbilly Music existed without Rodgers, and he was far from the only recording artist in the emerging genre. So, it is true that country music would likely exist without his influence. However, it would not be the same.
Rodgers, Hank Snow, and Hank Williams were the first artists inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence in 1986.
The Death of a Legend
Unfortunately, Jimmie Rodgers wasn’t in good health. He received a tuberculosis diagnosis in 1924, at the age of 30. Three years later, his health forced him to step away from the railroad. This allowed him to focus on his music career.
He recorded until the end of his life. In fact, Rodgers was in New York in the middle of a multi-day recording session for RCA Victor with Ralph Peer when he slipped into a coma and died in 1933.
In roughly six years, Jimmie Rodgers, now called the Father of Country Music, recorded dozens of songs and helped shape the future of a genre. Nearly 100 years after he recorded for the first time, his impact on the genre is still evident.
Featured Image by
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.