May 26, 1933: Jimmie Rodgers Dies

May 26, 1933: Jimmie Rodgers, known as "The Father of Country Music" and "The Singing Brakeman," dies. He was only 35 years old, and had a lot more to say.

James Charles Rodgers was born on September 8, 1897 in Meridian, Mississippi. His father was named Aaron Rodgers, but he wasn't a football player: He was a railroad worker, and Jimmie followed him into the field. He became a brakeman, but had already won a singing contest at age 13. By 1924, his destiny had been set: He had become a recorded musician, and he had been diagnosed with tuberculosis.

On November 30, 1927, in Camden, New Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia -- okay, it wasn't in the South, but it was in South Jersey -- he recorded "Blue Yodel #1," also known by its refrain, "T for Texas." He became known as America's foremost yodeler, and his songs incorporated blues influences from black performers.

This was emphasized in 1930, when he got together with trumpeter Louis Armstrong and his wife, pianist Lil Harding Armstrong, in Los Angeles -- okay, it wasn't in the South, but it was in Southern California -- to record "Standing On the Corner," also known as "Blue Yodel #9." One thing Jimmie and Louis, who only sang on this record, without singing on it, was plenty of attitude, and this song has plenty.

Rodgers married twice, and had 2 children with his 2nd wife, but both marriages ended soon due to his drinking. He drank for several reasons, the increasing pain from his tuberculosis being the biggest. But his health woes sapped his finances, so he had to keep touring, all over the South and the Midwest, and back up to Camden to record at RCA Victor's studio there.

On May 17, 1933, he went up to New York to record at RCA's studio at 153 East 24th Street. He recorded 6 songs while sitting on an easy chair, was propped up by pillows to reach the microphone and frequently paused the sessions to give him rest. A new session was scheduled for May 24, in which he recorded 4 songs, and lay on a cot between takes. At the end of the day, he was helped into a cab and returned to his hotel.

The next day, he felt better, and asked his driver to take him to Coney Island. That night, at his hotel, his cough returned with a vengeance, and he developed a hemorrhage. The hotel's doctor could not be found, and he died the next morning.

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had its initial class of inductees in 1986, Jimmie Rodgers was inducted in the "Early Influences" category.

On September 18, 1933, nearly 4 months after James Charles Rodgers died, James Frederick Rodgers was born in Camas, Washington. He, too, became known as "Jimmie Rodgers," and sang rock and roll in a country style, having hits including his song "Honeycomb," which hit Number 1 in 1957. However, he has not been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He died in 2021.

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May 26, 1933 was a Friday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 8-6 at Yankee Stadium. Paul Gregory outpitched Red Ruffing. Luke Appling hit a home run. Babe Ruth went 0-for-5, and Lou Gehrig went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

* The New York Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Giant manager Bill Terry, still active as a player, did not put himself into the game. Mel Ott went 0-for-4. Paul Waner went 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Lloyd Waner also went 2-for-4, but, as the leadoff hitter, had no RBIs.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 at Redland Field in Cincinnati. The following season, Powel Crosley bought the Reds, and renamed the ballpark Crosley Field.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-5 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 10-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. Hank Greenberg went 2-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs. Jimmie Foxx singled in the 2nd inning, and then left the game.

* The Washington Senators were leading the St. Louis Browns, 5-2 at Griffith Stadium in Washington, in the bottom of the 7th inning, when the game was halted by rain.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Boston Braves, 4-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Billy Herman hit a sacrifice fly to score Lynn Nelson with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

* And the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Ernie Orsatti singled Dizzy Dean home with the winning run in the bottom of the 14th inning. Dean went the distance for the win. For the Phillies, Chuck Klein went 4-for-6 with a home run 2 RBIs, and Virgil Davis went 4-for-5.