Brakeman's Blues

Where I'm from, the name “Jimmie Rodgers” is a name that's heard frequently. I live about thirty minutes from Meridian, MS, where Rodgers was born. There's a music festival named after him that's a big part of the East Central MS region and has been for many years. There's a museum dedicated to him and his music, as well as some of his family who helped him along the way. There are roads named after him in the Meridian area (I was involved in the field work leading up to the Jimmie Rodgers Parkway during my working days), and in the city's Highland Park, there's a monument dedicated to him that's been there many years.

All that being said, I really didn't pay much attention to the music of Jimmie Rodgers during my youth or for most of my adulthood. I attended the Jimmie Rodgers Festival several times, including this past year when they presented a couple of shows at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (details below) in Meridian, but his music, and his legacy in a variety of musical genres, really didn't click with me until the last couple of years.

Rodgers monument - Highland Park, Meridian, MS

Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933) is recognized as the “Father of Country Music,” and is in the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  However, did you know that he is also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence? Not only that, but he is also in the BLUES Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2013. I guess that was really when I started paying attention. I'd heard bits and pieces of his music over the years, but really sort of disregarded it.  I wasn't a big fan of modern country music, so even going to the Jimmie Rodgers Festival, there were only a few of the artists that I really liked.

Over the years, though, I've heard lots of blues artists talk about growing up listening to the Grand Ol' Opry on the radio....country music and gospel music (on the radio or at church) really being the only music they had access to for a long time, so it only made sense that their own music would be influenced somewhat by the music they heard on the radio.

Then I started digging deeper into the Pre-War music of the Mississippi Delta. I discovered that some of the blues artists of the area played with Rodgers, either on stage or as co-workers on the railroad. A lot of the Pre-War artists that I began to listen to....Houston Stackhouse, Robert Nighthawk (then Robert Lee McCoy), Hammie Nixon, Frank Stokes, Rubin Lacy, Ishmon Bracey, the Mississippi Sheiks, and most notably, Tommy Johnson knew, influenced, were influenced, and even played with him . Just about every blues performer from Mississippi was influenced either by his recordings or his performances.....Mississippi John Hurt has some Rodgers influence in his playing (check out "Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me") and Howlin' Wolf claimed that his howl was influenced by Rodgers's yodel.....and Rodgers even recorded with black blues musicians like Louis Armstrong, St. Louis guitarist Clifford Gibson, and the Louisville Jug Band.

Jimmie Rodgers Museum in Meridian, MS

During my recent visit to the Mississippi Music Museum, I noticed a display dedicated to Rodgers, which sort of rekindled my interest in him and his music. A couple of months later, I had a doctor visit in Meridian and the Jimmie Rodgers Museum is located a couple of blocks away, so I decided to stop by and check it out. It's a nice little museum with a lot of Rodgers memorabilia....some of his clothes, a few guitars and a piano, plus other items donated from his family. It's a good 45 – 60 minute tour and the museum has free admission (donations are welcome).

On his Facebook page, Peter Guralnick had recently mentioned a new book about Rodgers, a biographical novel written by musician Paul Burch titled Meridian Rising that sounded interesting. The museum had this book for sale, so I picked up a copy.  It's an imagined autobiography of Rodgers (Burch also recorded a fascinating album dedicated to Rodgers with the same  title in 2016) that incorporates several blues artists and movers and shakers of the time within it's pages, including Charley Patton, H.C. Spier, Rallph Peer, Sam Chatmon, and even a young Howlin' Wolf (listed here as "Chester").  It's a thoroughly enjoyable book, especially if you're familiar with Rodgers, his music, or the blues....actually, it's enjoyable even if you're not familiar.

It would appear that people are starting to remember and appreciate Rodger's contributions to not just country music, but just about every other popular genre as well, and he gave and received a lot of influence to the blues that I never really knew about.

Keep in mind that when Rodgers started playing music, there was NO style of music called Country.....or Blues. Back in those days, genres were not as big a deal as they are today, where even blues gets compartmentalized into ever smaller sub-genres.  Traveling musicians in Rodgers' era, black and white, had to be able to play a pretty diverse repertoire to satisfy whatever audiences were listening, black and white. 

I've always thought it was ridiculous to have SO many different genres of music. When I was growing up in the 70's, you actually had radio stations that played MULTIPLE musical genres over their air waves and, lo and behold, we all managed to survive this. Even today, my playlist on my mp3 player in my car includes blues, jazz, gospel, country, rock, pop, reggae, Cajun/zydeco, soul, R&B, and even world music.  Clinging to one genre will certainly deprive music lovers of a lot of great music.

Working on the railroad, Rodgers crossed paths with a lot of different people, black and white, and he also absorbed their influences in his music.  His singing style replicated a lot of blues singers and his songwriting also focused on subjects that rang true with anyone who listened to the blues, so his music appealed to both white and black listeners at the time.  He recorded 13 "Blue Yodels" during his career, which served as an influence for how blues songs would be structured in future recordings, so whether white country music fans were listening to Rodgers, they were also hearing the blues.

There are a lot of Jimmie Rodgers recordings out there that collect his work, but I was interested in finding one that provided a good sampling of his more blues-related material to see if I could pick up what influenced a lot of these older blues artists and also what he might have picked up from those older blues artists, maybe some who never had the opportunity to record.

Happily, I found just the recording via the UK record label Catfish.  2001's Brakeman's Blues captures 24 of Rodgers' blues songs (about 40 of his 110+ recordings are considered blues), and all 13 of his "Blue Yodels."  Listening to these tracks, you can't help but notice the similarities in song structure, lyrical content, and vocal delivery.  It also shows how vital the blues were in the formation of early country music and much of that is due to Jimmie Rodgers.

All 13 of the "Blue Yodel" songs are worth hearing, but here are three noteworthy examples that can be linked to the blues genre directly.  The first is, of course, "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)," a number that has been covered in multiple genres.  Another one is 1930's "Blue Yodel No. 9 (Standing On The Corner)," which features Louis Armstrong on trumpet and Armstrong's wife Lil Hardin on piano, and his last one recorded just a couple of days before his death, "Blue Yodel No. 13 (The Women Made A Fool Out Of Me)."

Rodgers also recorded "Let Me Be Your Sidetrack" in 1931 with St. Louis blues guitarist Clifford Gibson, but his label didn't release it at the time because they feared backlash with Rodgers recording with a black musician (Armstrong and his wife were not credited on "Blue Yodel No. 9") and had him re-record it performing solo.  Here is the unreleased version (listed as Take 2), with Gibson officially listed as guitarist.  

Other standout Rodgers' blues tracks include "In The Jailhouse Now," "My Good Gal's Gone Blues" (with the Louisville Jug Band), "Pistol Packing Papa," and "TB Blues."  Rodgers' lyrics are pretty raw and direct, compared to the standard fare of the day, but there's also some good humor in his words as well.

I spent most of my life more or less disregarding the music of Jimmie Rodgers.  Little did I know how much of an influence he was not just to country music, but eventually rock n' roll and, yes, the blues.  If you are a blues fan, especially of the older pre-war blues recordings, take a little time and give Rodgers' recordings a listen, especially the "Blue Yodels," and you'll discover that the connection between blues and country music is a pretty close one.

Friday Blues Picks (Looking Back)

No new picks this week since I'm working on my reviews for the March issue of Blues Bytes, which should be online sometime next week, but I thought I'd take time to highlight a Blast From The Past, just in case you missed it.....

Edgar Winter's White Trash - Roadwork (CBS/Epic Records):  I picked this one up a few months back at Discogs.  I've always heard about Edgar Winter's White Trash, and actually knew some of his later work.  However, I was much more familiar with his brother Johnny Winter, via his Alligator releases in the 80's. 

Years ago, about the time I got on the internet for the first time, I met a guy on the old Blues Access message board who lived in Houston, and he told me that he knew the Winter brothers when they were teenagers and trying to get into the music business.  He told me that a lot of club owners in that area would take advantage of the boys since they were relatively young and frail due to their albinism.  He sort of took them under his wing for awhile to make sure that they got paid for performing, until they eventually moved on to bigger things.

I was able to see Johnny Winter one time (1994) and he put on a mesmerizing performance, but I've never seen Edgar perform.  When I saw Roadwork, I figured this was a good opportunity to hear what a live performance would be like.  I'd always heard about White Trash, especially their lead singer Jerry LaCroix.  

My internet friend in Houston also turned me on to LaCroix via his sting with the legendary Lousiana swamp pop/blue-eyed soul group The Boogie Kings (as Jerry "Count" Jackson).  Some of the Boogie Kings albums from the 60's are collector's items and LaCroix is a big reason why.  He was a major figure on the Louisiana/Gulf Coast music scene.

White Trash was a powerful ensemble who mixed blues, funk, gospel, R&B, and rock n' roll and Winter, who sang and played keyboards and saxophone fronted the group.  LaCroix also sang and played saxophone, while Rick Derringer sang and played guitar.  Other members included Randy Jo Hobbs (bass), Bobby Ramirez (drums), Jon Smith (tenor sax), and Marshall Cyr, Mike McLellan, and Tilly Lawrence (trumpets).

The album was recorded at the Apollo Theatre and the Academy of Music in NYC and at the Whisky a Go Go club in L.A. and was released in early 1972.  It's a really fast-moving set with Winter, LaCroix, and Derringer sharing lead vocals.  LaCroix is a monster vocalist, but Winter isn't far behind and Derringer does a fine job as well.  The gospel-flavored "Save The Planet" gets the set off to a rousing start and LaCroix shines on "I Can't Turn You Loose," his own "Jive Jive Jive," and the Bobby Bland classic "Turn On Your Love Light."

Winter delivers a powerful, marathon version of "Tobacco Road" that actually took up one LP side (it was originally a two-record release), and Derringer sings "Still Alive And Well" and his future hit, "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" also appears here, but it's sung by the band's special guest star, Johnny Winter, who actually recorded "Still Alive and Well" a few years later.  Edgar Winter introduced Johnny with one of the most memorable lines on a rock album....."People keep askin' me.....where's your brother?"

Most of these guys are gone now, Johnny Winter and Jerry LaCroix both passed in 2014, and Derringer died in late May of 2025.  Edgar Winter is still going strong as of this writing.  White Trash only released three albums, including Roadwork, and all of them are worth a listen if you dig classic blues rock, but this is one of the standout live albums of the 1970's.

Friday Blues Picks (3/6/26)

Hard to believe that we're over two months into the new year.  Here's a few more new releases that are definitely worth any blues fan's time.....

Joe Bonamassa & Friends - B.B. King's Blues Summit 100 (KTBA Records):  I've been seeing this release promoted on Facebook for the last few months, and I'll just say it's well worth the wait.  Bonamassa has assembled the cream of the current blues crop for this massive two-disc, 32 track set.  You have guest appearances from Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Marcus King, Michael McDonald, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Noah Hunt, Buddy Guy, Larry McCray, Shemekia Copeland, Myles Kennedy, Slash, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Jimmie Vaughan, Bobby Rush, Keb' Mo', George Benson, Gary Clark Jr., and so many others.  Bonamassa and Josh Smith back these artists along with a stellar band that captures the essence of the King originals but adds just enough modern flavor.  To be honest, this is one of the best tribute albums I've ever heard, an outstanding, powerful, and reverent set that I think would put a big smile on the King of the Blues' face.

Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials - Slideways (Alligator Records):  I've been a fan of this band since the mid 80's, when I heard their wild track "Young Thing" on The New Bluebloods and then with their subsequent releases on Alligator.  Lil' Ed and James "Pookie" Young have been in the band since it's formation in 1975, with guitarist Michael Garrett and drummer Kelly Littleton joining in the late 80's, so that's almost thirty years (with a sabbatical in the mid 90's).  On this, their tenth release, the band is joined on several tracks by Ben Levin, who plays piano and B3 on eight of the thirteen tracks.  Most of the tracks are written or co-written by Lil' Ed and he hasn't lost an inch off his fast ball as far as his slide guitar mastery.  While he's always done a fine job as far as singing, his vocals have seasoned out over the years, giving him a more soulful edge on these tracks.  This is a typically fun set from Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, who never let blues fans down with their powerful, high-energy, genuine houserockin' music (just like Alligator advertises).

Charles Tiner - Good Soul:  Chicago-based singer Tiner has a marvelous voice and he puts it to good use on this excellent set of blues and soul with a bit of gospel mixed in.  He's also a wizard on the keyboards as well and has some great musical support behind him from a host of musicians.  The album is a superb mix of blues, soul, a little gospel, and a little jazz.  I have to admit that I didn't know a lot about Tiner prior to hearing this release - he has roots in the church, he writes fine songs, and he has a memorable voice.  He also was a finalist in the 2022 I.B.C. and based on the sounds heard on Good Soul, we will be hearing a lot more from him in the future.

Davey Jones - Ball Cap Blues:  I've got to give some props to a Mississippi guy whenever I can and this was another guy that I'd never heard of.  Jones was born in Hattiesburg, MS and has been writing and performing music for over 30 years.  Like many Mississippi artists of any race, his influences are blues, soul, gospel, rock, and country because that's what he heard on the radio when he was growing up (I know this from experience).  Jones plays all the instruments on this album, he's a solid songwriter whose music touches on all of the styles mentioned above, and he's a fine vocalist.  Blues fans should keep an eye out for Davey Jones and Ball Cap Blues....they won't be disappointed.  Here's a promo video for the album from the man himself.

Looking back a few years (35 to be exact), let's look at Albert Collins' first album for Point Blank Records, Iceman.  Collins had recorded for Alligator since 1978 and it had been five years since his last release, so I remember being excited to see new product from the Master of the Telecaster.  This one features Collins backed by an all-star cast of musicians - Johnny B. Gayden, Soko Richardson, Debbie Davies, Teenie and Charles Hodges, and the Uptown Horns.  For Collins, this was considered a step up to a major label - Point Blank was a subsidary of Virgin Records and they had signed several other blues artists during this time.....Larry McCray, Larry Garner, Lucky Peterson, Johnny Copeland, and many to follow.  The songs are all originals and Collins provides his usual affable vocals and that icy guitar tone that shook me to my backbone the first time I ever heard it.  Sadly, Collins was only able to release one more studio album of guest star-laden re-recordings of some of his classic tunes that was released just a few weeks before he passed away, but Iceman is a great set of tunes backed by an excellent band.  If you missed it first time around, I highly recommend it.

Friday Blues Picks (2/27/26)

It's been awhile since we posted a few picks here....I had intended to try to do this more regularly, but it is what it is.  Let's look at a few recent releases that are well worth your time.

Mississippi Heat - Don't Look Back (Delmark Records):  Pierre Lacocque and his crew strike gold again with this fine release.  He's recruited a host of vocalists (Sheryl Youngblood, Inetta Visor, Daneshia Hamilton, Danielle Nicole, and Omar Coleman, along with guitarists Giles Corey and Billy Flynn, keyboardists Johnny Iguana and John Kattke, and many others.  Ms. Youngblood handles most of the vocals, but the others certainly shine as well, and Coleman joins Lacocque for the harmonica-driven instrumental "Moonshine Man."  If you're a blues fan and you're not familiar with Mississippi Heat (we interviewed Mr. Lacocque several years back), you can't go wrong because it's Chicago blues from one of the best bands around.

Omar Coleman & Igor Prado - Old New Funky and Blue (Nola Blue Records):  Speaking of Mr. Coleman, blues fans are strongly encouraged to check out this wonderful disc, an early contender for Album of the Year.  Teaming with Brazilian guitar master Prado, Coleman turns out a stunning set of Chicago blues and Memphis soul, with six originals from Coleman and Prado and five excellent covers of tunes from Syl Johnson and Bobby Rush.  Trust me, there's not a bad cut in the bunch as Coleman is superb on vocals and harmonica and Prado's guitar work is top notch throughout.  I certainly hope these guys make this a regular collaboration.

Duke Robillard and His All Star Band - Blast Off! (Nola Blue Records):  Another outstanding release from Nola Blue, their first collaboration with Robillard, who has been doing this for well over 50 years.  He sounds as inspired as ever on these twelve tunes, mostly covers with three Robillard originals.  Chris Cote handles vocals on most of these tunes and does a fine job and blues fans will recognize a lot of the names in the All Stars from previous Duke efforts.  This set also features four instrumentals, so Robillard gets plenty of opportunities to strut his stuff.  The cover choices are first rate and the instrumentals will knock your socks off. 

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Don Leady - Blue Nebula (LeRay Records):  Leady, who fronted the Tail Gators in the 80's and 90's, had released several solo efforts spotlighting his nimble fretwork, and he's spent the last couple of years remastering live tracks from the Tail Gators' performances on five volumes that blues fans should definitely track down.  This release is a six-song EP that mixes blues, R&B, country, and jazz with a bit of surf guitar added for good measure.  Leady plays all the instruments on all six tracks (guitars, bass, percussion, organ) and, trust me, if you are a guitar fan of any style of music, you will love this disc.

Boz Scaggs - Detour (Concord Records):  This release reminds me a lot of Walter "Wolfman" Washington's last couple of releases.  It started out as a set of demos with Scaggs doing some of his favorite standards.  It has that same relaxed feel and Scaggs does a wonderful job interpreting this tunes, made famous by artists like Irma Thomas, Frank Sinatra, Lonnie Johnson, Nat King Cole, and Tony Bennett, but adding his own personal touch to each.  This one leans more toward the jazz end of the spectrum, but Scaggs' vocals make it worth listening.  

Now, let's go back a few years and check out.....

Larry McCray - Live on 75 (Magnolia Records):  If you can find this one, released in 2006 on his own label, it's well worth your time and money......it took me quite a while to track it down.  Recorded in Detroit in 2004, McCray is joined by his brother Steve on drums, Mike Lynch on keyboards, and the legendary bass man Johnny B. Gayden on this powerful twelve-song set that tells you all that you need to know about Larry McCray.  It's downright criminal that he basically disappeared off the radar for nearly 20 years and had a hard time getting his music out there, other than via performance.  Thankfully, Joe Bonamassa got him back into the studio, so McCray is back!  If you can find this set, you can get a good taste of what McCray's first few years were like and see what the fuss was all about (since all of his earlier albums are out of print). 

Since this one is out of print, here's the entire album, via YouTube.

We'll be back in a couple of weeks with a few more recent releases that you definitely need to be listening to.