Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety

Subject: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Will Fly
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 05:05 AM

I'm gradually working my way through a 5-CD box set of Jimmie Rodgers recordings (100+ tracks) and I'm struck by the variety of musical genres within his music. I knew his stuff principally as the blue yodels and bluesy songs, and it's great to hear songs with a vaudeville/music-hall melodic line, tracks with a very jazzy instrumentation (My Blue Eyed Jane, for example), plus the Hawaiian sounds.

Lovely stuff - and all those classic songs and that wonderful voice as a bonus.

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Fortunato
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 08:42 AM

Will Fly,

I think the producers put him in a lot of groupings to reach a broader audience. The success of Emmett Miller, "the clarinet throated" vocalist, who did Love Sick Blues first, recording jazz/Minstral material, must have influenced them to try Jimmie's similiar voice with other genres influence.

The Hawaiian slide guitar tunes are some of my favorites.

cheers,
chance

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Wesley S
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 09:02 AM

I'm pretty sure that's the same box set I own. It was fun to see that the trumpet player on many of his songs was Louis Armstrong.

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: kendall
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 09:15 AM

He sang a couple of songs that were a bit earthy for that time.
...and if you don't want to smell my smoke, don't monkey with my gun..

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Will Fly
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 10:08 AM

It looks like he lived a pretty earthy life - not quite as earthy as Hank Williams, perhaps, but good enough for its time. I wonder how he really got on with the Carter family who, I gather, were fairly strait-laced.

On the record: (perhaps)

Carter person: "Why, look who's here - it's Jimmie Rodgers."

Jimmie: "Howdy folks - if you don't want to smell my smoke...[etc.]"

Strange silence on the part of the assorted Carters...

:-) Will

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Mavis Enderby
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 10:35 AM

Must look out for that box set myself.

One of my favorites is Waiting for a train. Genre defying stuff - Blues? Jazz? Country? Old Time?

Cheers,

Pete.

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Will Fly
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 10:51 AM

Waiting for a Train is excellent - done it myself on the Tube - but no yodelling!

My current favourite is a little bit of fluff called "My Blue Eyed Jane". Th song, that is... :-)

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Chris in Portland
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 10:57 AM

I just started reading Nolan Porterfield's bio - it is a good fast read so far. The two most interesting facts so far are that Jimmie bought a lot of records, so that he could hear all types of music, and his first audiences were usually young people who wanted to hear jazz and pop tunes. Lots of good stories in the book, whether they're true or not.
Chris

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: The Sandman
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 05:57 PM

SaraCarter ,strait laced?

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 06:04 PM

Strange! All my 78s of JR are exactly the same genre, yodels, mostly variations on 'Blue Yodel'. These other genres don't seem to have reached the UK side of the pond on his 78s.

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Arkie
Date: 10 Feb 09 - 11:23 AM

Quite a few songs had chord patterns more complicated than the common country fare of his day. Most likely the result of jazz and other influences.

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: Mark Ross
Date: 10 Feb 09 - 12:59 PM

Here's the complete short from Columbia Pictures c.1930







Jimmy Rogers, The Singing Brakeman

Subject: RE: Jimmie Rodgers - musical variety
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 10 Feb 09 - 04:51 PM

What I find fascinating about Rogers is that there seems no precedent for his vocal style, and he doesn't sound at all black which is surprising considering that he must have listened to a lot of black performers. Of course, after his amazing recording success, dozens of Rogers sound-alikes emerged.