orig. James Charles Rodgers
born Sept. 8, 1897, Meridian, Miss., U.S.
died May 26, 1933, New York, N.Y.
U.S. country music singer and guitarist.
He left school at age 14 to work on the railroad, and he would be known throughout his career as the "Singing Brakeman." While working on the trains he learned guitar and banjo, absorbed blues techniques from African American railroad workers, and eventually created his characteristic sound
a blend of traditional work, blues, hobo, and cowboy songs and his trademark "blue yodel." By с 1924 tuberculosis had made his railroad work impossible; he began instead to perform and soon became a best-selling recording artist, the first solo star of country music. His more than 110 recordings include "Blue Yodel No. 1" and "Mississippi River Blues." He died at age 35. He was one of the first three inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame.