Reviews for Meeting Jimmie Rodgers : how America's original roots music hero changed the pop sounds of a century
Library Journal
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Verdict: In charting Rodgers's influence, Mazor provides a captivating romp through a century of American pop music and reveals the mechanisms by which icons exert influence on a variety of cultural traditions. Recommended for all collections. Background: Though Rodgers lived only 35 years, he had an enormous impact on American popular culture. Mazor (senior editor, www.NoDepression.com) reveals his influence on country and folk singers like Ernest Tubb, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton, as expected, but the surprise is the effect the "Blue Yodeler" had on rock musicians as well (Rodgers was inducted into both the country and the rock music Halls of Fame). Readers wanting a traditional biography of Rodgers would be better served by Nolan Porterfield's Jimmie Rodgers: The Life and Times of America's Blue Yodeler.-Bruce R. Schueneman, Texas A&M Univ. Lib., Kingsville, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
*Starred Review* In his own time of stardom, Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933) was called the Singing Brakeman and America's Blue Yodeler. About 1953, he began to be called, as he still is, the Father of Country Music, which alt-country luminary Steve Earle tells pop-music historian Mazor is too limiting. Mazor strongly agrees with Earle and massively demonstrates why Rodgers' epithets don't do him justice. He was, Mazor argues, a dedicated professional entertainer who recognized no pop-music genres fortunately in an era that had barely begun establishing them and so felt no constraints about adapting sentimental parlor songs, vaudeville novelties, occupational songs, ballads, rural and urban blues, and early jazz to suit his performing persona of a worldly, charming traveler who honored hearth and home but didn't suppress his rough and rowdy ways (the title of one of his hits) on the road. Almost all he had to do to be a star was record, which he did first in 1927 and intensively thereafter. The records went literally all over the world, inspiring imitators, professional and utterly not (1950s rural Kenyans sang in a style they called Chemirocha). The story of that enormous influence, bursting with names of stars, stalwarts, and one-hit wonders and featuring discographical endnotes for most chapters, is the immensely piquant and satisfying meat of one of the most intelligent, fascinating, and cogent pop-music histories ever.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2009 Booklist
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
*Starred Review* In his own time of stardom, Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933) was called the Singing Brakeman and America's Blue Yodeler. About 1953, he began to be called, as he still is, the Father of Country Music, which alt-country luminary Steve Earle tells pop-music historian Mazor is too limiting. Mazor strongly agrees with Earle and massively demonstrates why Rodgers' epithets don't do him justice. He was, Mazor argues, a dedicated professional entertainer who recognized no pop-music genres fortunately in an era that had barely begun establishing them and so felt no constraints about adapting sentimental parlor songs, vaudeville novelties, occupational songs, ballads, rural and urban blues, and early jazz to suit his performing persona of a worldly, charming traveler who honored hearth and home but didn't suppress his rough and rowdy ways (the title of one of his hits) on the road. Almost all he had to do to be a star was record, which he did first in 1927 and intensively thereafter. The records went literally all over the world, inspiring imitators, professional and utterly not (1950s rural Kenyans sang in a style they called Chemirocha). The story of that enormous influence, bursting with names of stars, stalwarts, and one-hit wonders and featuring discographical endnotes for most chapters, is the immensely piquant and satisfying meat of one of the most intelligent, fascinating, and cogent pop-music histories ever.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2009 Booklist
Choice
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Considering the brevity of his life, Rodgers (1897-1933) left a remarkable legacy. Initially a railroad worker, he pursued music after tuberculosis (which eventually took his life) curtailed physical labor. He got his breakthrough recording for the Victor label in 1927. His expressive singing and guitar playing created a sensation that brought him stardom in "hillbilly music" and beyond. Nicknamed "singing brakeman," "blue yodeler," and "father of country music," he became a larger-than-life figure whose songs and influence persist. Mazor is an award-winning country-music journalist, and this is a fine addition to the literature on Rodgers. Though not the first scholarly biography of Rodgers--that honor goes to Nolan Porterfield's Jimmie Rodgers: The Life and Times of America's Blue Yodeler (CH, Apr'80, since reissued)--this carefully researched, well-written book provides something special. Mazor traces Rodgers's influence through the 20th century and into the 21st not only on country music but also on popular music of many other genres and on media such as film. Whereas Rodgers's influence on country artists could be expected, his influence on people as diverse as Rick Nelson, George Harrison, and Louis Armstrong might not. A book for both music researchers and fans. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. D. Arnold University of North Texas
