Rodgers, Jimmie (James Charles) (1897–1933)

US country singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was the genre's first important recording star. His blues-influenced vocals established an enduring style for country singers and he popularized yodelling. Not only his vocal style but also the content of his songs influenced country music for decades to come: the hard-done-by, hard-drinking, broken-hearted drifter is a persona of Rodgers' creation. The use of steel-guitar backing, now commonplace in country music, was also pioneered by Rodgers.

Rodgers, born in Mississippi, was known as the Singing Brakeman after his employment on the railway. His recordings, including 13 that were titled ‘Blue Yodel’ (in a numbered series), were made between 1927 and his death from tuberculosis; one of the last was called ‘TB Blues’.

Many of his Blue Yodels are better known by alternative titles: ‘Blue Yodel 1’ is ‘T for Texas’, ‘Blue Yodel 8’ is ‘Mule Skinner Blues’. Other songs include ‘Waiting for a Train’ and ‘In the Jailhouse Now’.