Legacy

Jimmie Rodgers played a huge role in the birth of the cultural phenomenon we know today, as country music. His legacy through country music continues to live on today. Jimmie dealt with a lot of struggles in his family life.  Jimmie’s mother died when he was 6 years old, so the only parental figure he had in his life was his father. His father, Aaron Rodgers, due to being a hard worker and wanting to provide for his family, traveled around most of the time to different railroads where he could find work. Jimmie worked on the railroad with his father from age fourteen to twenty-eight. Jimmie always had an interest in music but it was not until he got too sick with recurring health issues and could not work on the railroads, that he decided to pursue his passion for music. He needed this little bump in the road to truly change the course of his life and ultimately the future of the music industry.

Jimmie Rodger lived on much longer than just the time he was here on earth. His legacy and talents will live on forever through other people’s music. He was extremely influential in many parts of the music industry and that is why he is called “The Father of Country Music.” His name is also recognized in multiple halls of fame. He left a footprint on America that goes beyond what a person living the “stereotypical” American dream could do.

Jimmie Rodgers resembles a fundamental aspect to the American Dream that most people overlook. As country music was gaining popularity in the early 20th century, Jimmie changed the course of it, by not just singing like the rest of country singers. He broke the mold that most other country singers fitted and made his own unique form. He sang about more diverse things in the world, including love, and not limited to farms and mountains, as most country singers did. More specifically, Jimmie sang about failed love and loved ones leaving, which could have stemmed from his mother’s death and absence of his father for work. One of his most famous creative works was a collection of songs called Blue Yodels. He recorded thirteen Blue Yodels, which all took on the format of blues. His most famous one was “Blue Yodel No. 1. ”Not only did he differentiate himself in lyrics but also style. Some of the people he looked up to and learned a great deal of his knowledge about writing music from were not even country singers. Surprisingly, Jimmie even made a Hawaiian reggae song that included ukuleles. He was not afraid to try any type of music which made his songs innovative with a fresh twist.

Jimmie Rodgers was a true American figure that should be looked up to for not only his talents, but also his determination to make a living through music, in the way he desired. He was not willing to conform to the stereotypes, but rather broke those norms and created something new. Jimmie truly embodied a fundamental part of the American dream, which is legacy. Jimmie’s legacy took no time after his death to begin establishing. Within three weeks of his death, Dwight Butcher had recorded “When Jimmie Rodgers Said Goodbye,” which incorporated yodeling and continued to catch on fire with the American people. Bill C. Malone, a historian who specializes in country music, wrote this about Jimmie Rodgers 50 years after his death, “A big-time personality, the idol of millions, a show business institution, and a dominant influence in the development of one of the greatest cultural phenomena in twentieth-century America.” After dying, Jimmie left a legacy that will live on forever, which is something that every person deep down is striving towards, as part of their American dream because none of the worldly things people hold on to will mean anything at the end of their life. When people start stepping out of their comfort zone and taking more risks, that is when the world begins to change and can be changed for the better, just as Jimmie did.