Jimmie Rodgers, the “Singing Brakeman

Jimmie Rodgers, the “Singing Brakeman”, was born in the south, in 1897. His family was poor, and his mother died when he was a small child. At the age of 13, his father got him a job on the railway, as a water boy. He met with rail workers and hoboes, some of them African American, and listened to their working songs. There was TB in the family, which had caused his mother’s death, and in time Jimmy found that his health was failing. The strenuous life on the railroads was making him very ill. He gave up the railroad work and became an entertainer again in 1924, organising a travelling road show. He tried railroad work again, but his health was very poor. By 1927, he had a wife and child and he moved to Tennessee, to try his luck with singing again. He recorded a few songs, and began to work at song writing with his sister in law, Elsie McWilliams...who co-wrote many songs with him. His career as a singer and song writer began to blossom, but his TB was not cured. His constant touring and working made it unlikely that he would ever recover from the illness. He was making good money, enough to buy a house for his wife and family in Texas. By the age of 35, he was getting sicker and had to lie down, in the recording studio, to rest between sessions. He died of a hemorrhage in his hotel. His influence on country music was enormous, rather like Hank Williams, who also died young. Most great country singers acknowledge him, and have covered some of his songs, or tried to imitate his style of yodeling. One of his most famous songs is “In the Jailhouse now”. He also influenced many blues artists…