Birthplace of Jimmie Rodgers - Meridian
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 32° 22.516 W 088° 43.145
16S E 338277 N 3583331
Born Sept. 8, 1897, at Meridian, Miss. Known as the "Singing Brakeman," Rodgers' recordings of Southern blues and ballads greatly contributed to the world-wide popularity of a distinctly American musical form.
Waymark Code: WM1E09
Location: Mississippi, United States
Date Posted: 04/16/2007
Views: 54
This historical marker is near the Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Museum in historic Highland Park, itself listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to the museum building itself, there are outside memorials, and a vintage steam locamotive on display.
INSCRIPTION
"His is the music of America. He sang the songs of the people he loved, of a young nation growing strong. His was an America of glistening rails, thundering boxcars, and rain-swept night, of lonesome prairies, great mountains and a high blue sky. He sang of the bayous and the cornfields, the wheated plains, of the little towns, the cities, and of the winding rivers of America."
Jimmie Rodgers was born on September 8, 1897 in Meridian, Mississippi, the youngest of three sons. Always in ill health, he became a railroad hand, until ill health caught up with him and he was forced to seek a less strenuous occupation.
An amateur entertainer for many years, he became a serious performer in 1925, appearing in Johnson City, Tennessee, and other places. In 1926, Rodgers and Carrie, his wife of 6 years, moved to Asheville, North Carolina, and organized the Jimmie Rodgers' Entertainers, a hillbilly band comprising Jack Pierce (guitar), Jack Grant (mandolin/banjo), Claude Grant (banjo), and Rodgers himself (banjo).
Although musicians had been recording fiddle tunes (known as Old Time Music at that time) in the southern Appalachians for several years, It wasn't until August 1, 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee, that Country Music really began. There, on that day, Ralph Peer signed Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family to recording contracts for Victor Records.
Rodgers, who died in 1933, never appeared on any major radio show or even played the Grand Ole Opry during his lifetime. But he, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams were the first persons to be elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961, which is indicative of his importance in the history of Country Music.
