Hailed as the “Father of Country Music,” James Charles Rodgers, better known by his nickname Jimmie, wasn’t the only one of his name to find success in the genre. James Frederick “Jimmie” Rodgers (no relation) also enjoyed mainstream attention in the ’50s and ’60s with songs like “Honeycomb” and “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine.” Rodgers died on this day (Jan. 18) in 2021 from kidney disease at age 87.
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A Look at Jimmie Rodgers’ Early Career
Jimmie Rodgers was born on Sept. 18, 1933, which is, oddly enough, the same year that the aforementioned elder country star passed away. As for the younger Rodgers, he grew up in Camas, Washington, singing and playing piano at church and in school. The U.S. Air Force drafted him after his graduation from Camas High School, and he served during the Korean War. Rodgers continued exploring a musical path during his service, playing in a band called The Melodies. While serving a two-year stint at Nashville’s Sewart Air Force Base, he first heard the song that would become his biggest hit—”Honeycomb,” written by Bob Merrill.
In 1957, Rodgers headed to the studio for what he thought was a demo. Two hours later, he had recorded “Honeycomb”—no charts, no music,” he said in a 2010 oral history for the National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association.
To his surprise, the jaunty tune topped both the Top 100 and R&B Best Sellers chart, reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Sellers in Stores chart. More Top 10 hits followed that year, including “Kisses Sweeter than Wine” and “Oh-Oh, I’m Falling in Love Again.”
The Suspicious Incident That Derailed His Career
“Honeycomb” helped Jimmie Rodgers land multiple TV appearances, such as the Shower of Stars program hosted by Jack Benny. The way Rodgers tells it, he was in talks for a role in the 1968 musical Finian’s Rainbow when a mysterious incident on a Los Angeles highway altered his entire trajectory.
In Rodgers’ recounting, he was driving home on the San Diego Freeway late on the night of Dec. 1, 1967, when the car behind his flashed its lights. He pulled over. The driver was an off-duty Los Angeles police officer.
“I rolled the window down to ask what was the matter,” he told The Toronto Star in 1987, per The New York Times. “That’s the last thing I remember.”
When he came to, Rodgers had a fractured skull and broken arm. Initial reports suggested he had suffered a severe beating with an unidentified blunt instrument. Police claimed a drunk Rogers had stumbled and hit his head after officers pulled him over for erratic driving.
The recovery process was long, and Rodgers later sued the Los Angeles Police Department. The case was eventually settled out of court in his favor for $200,000.
Featured image by John Atashian/Getty Images
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