Jimmie Rodgers

      Jimmie Rodgers was an early American country singer known for his rhythmic yodeling.  His love for entertaining came the early age of 13, when he would organize and begin traveling shows.  However, his father forced Jimmie to become a railroad worker for the next 14 years of his life.  At age 27, Jimmie contracted tuberculosis, ending his railroad career at the time.  His break for the railroad gave Jimmie a chance to try an entertainment career once more, and he organized a traveling road show and performed across the Southeastern United States.  However, he was force back home and to the railroad industry after a cyclone destoryed his tent.  By age 30, Jimmie traveled to Asheville North Carolina and performed with Otis Kuykendall on WWNC, Asheville's first radio station, and soon secured a weekly spot on the radio station.  Jimmie and his group auditioned for Ralph Peer of Victor Talking Machine Company for a recording, and when Peer agreed to record the group, an argument arose and the band broke up.  Jimmie would arrive alone to the recording session and record 2 songs.  Jimmie was determined to record more songs so he tracked Peer down in New York and Peer agreed to record Jimmie again.  Afterward Jimmie would perform in a movie short, toured the Midwest, and record with the famous Jazz musician, Louis Armstrong, in Blue Yodel No. 9.  Jimmie would go on to do more recordings, but by mid 1933, his tuberculosis caught up to him and detoriated his health.  On May 26, 1933, two days after his last recording session, Jimmie died from a lung hemorrhage.



Here's Jimmie's recording of Mississippi Delta Blues, one of the songs Jimmie recorded 2 days before his death.