"Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)" (originally "Blue Yodel", often called "Blue Yodel No. 1" or "T For Texas") is a song by American singer-songwriter
Jimmie Rodgers
James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...
. The recording was produced by
Ralph Peer
Ralph Sylvester Peer (May 22, 1892 – January 19, 1960) was an American talent scout, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher in the 1920s and 1930s. Peer pioneered field recording of music when in June 1923 he took remote rec ...
, who had originally recorded with Rodgers during the
Bristol Sessions. It was released by the
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidia ...
on February 3, 1928. Rodgers recorded it during his second session with Victor, on November 30, 1927.
Rodgers composed "Blue Yodel" using his original lines, mixed with lines from other songs. The song features a traditional
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
bar form
Bar form (German: ''die Barform'' or ''der Bar'') is a musical form of the pattern AAB.
Original use
The term comes from the rigorous terminology of the Meistersinger guilds of the 15th to 18th century who used it to refer to their songs and the ...
, with his voice accompanied only by his guitar. It was named after the
yodeling
Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from the ...
Rodgers featured during the breaks between stanzas. The song became Rodgers's best selling disk, a fixture in his live performances, and the first of his series of
Blue Yodels. It garnered him national fame, and with Rodgers becoming known as "America's Blue Yodeler". Multiple artists recorded their versions of the song, which was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame
The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
and added to the
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...
. "Blue Yodel" influenced artists including
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
,
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
and
Ronnie Van Zant
Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known as the original lead vocalist, primary lyricist and a founding member of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He is the older brother of current ...
.
Background
As a teenager,
Rodgers Rodgers is a patronymic surname of Old English origin derived from the Norman personal name "Roger", with the addition of the genitive suffix "-s" and meaning “son of Roger.” The intrusive “d” in Rodgers is either a Welsh or Scottish addi ...
sang on the traveling shows he organized with his father. During his adulthood, Rodgers began working for the
New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad
The New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad was a Class I railroad in Louisiana and Mississippi in the United States. The railroad operated of road from its completion in 1883 until it was absorbed by the Alabama Great Southern Railroad subsidiar ...
as a
brakeman
A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The earliest known use of the term to describe this occupation occurred in 1833. The advent of through brakes, ...
. Because of
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
, he left the job in 1924. Rodgers then returned to performing, while moving around to different locations and working for other railroad companies. In February 1927, he moved to
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
, where he appeared on broadcasts of the recently established radio station
WWNC
WWNC (570 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Asheville, North Carolina. It broadcasts a Talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and transmitter are on Summerlin Road in Ashville.
WWNC is powered at 5,000 watts. By ...
. Rodgers selected a group from
Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in the State of Tennessee. Located in Sullivan County, its population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The ...
, as his backing band. The station featured them weekly under the name The Jimmie Rodgers Entertainers.
Also in 1927, the
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidia ...
's producer
Ralph Peer
Ralph Sylvester Peer (May 22, 1892 – January 19, 1960) was an American talent scout, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher in the 1920s and 1930s. Peer pioneered field recording of music when in June 1923 he took remote rec ...
traveled to southern
Appalachia
Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...
to scout and record local talent, following the success of his recordings of
Fiddlin' John Carson
"Fiddlin'" John Carson (March 23, 1868 – December 11, 1949) was an American old-time fiddler and singer who recorded what is widely considered to be the first country music song featuring vocals and lyrics.
Early life
Carson was born near Mc ...
. Peer set up to record in Bristol, on the recommendation of
Okeh Records
Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...
engineer
Ernest Stoneman
Ernest Van "Pop" Stoneman (May 25, 1893 – June 14, 1968) was an American musician, ranked among the prominent recording artists of country music's first commercial decade.
Biography
Born in a log cabin in Monarat (Iron Ridge), Carroll Count ...
. Rodgers and his band heard of
Peer's sessions and scheduled a recording. After a disagreement with the band's members regarding the name to use on the record's label the night before, Rodgers decided to record a solo record. On August 4, 1927, Peer recorded him from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm. The session produced the tracks "Sleep, Baby, Sleep" and "The Soldier's Sweetheart". The resulting disk was released in October 1927.
Recording and composition
![Jimmie Rodgers in 1921](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Jimmie_Rodgers_in_1921.jpg)
Rodgers waited fruitlessly for Peer to call him again to have him record. He traveled to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and called Peer to let him know he was there and that he had time to record a few songs; Peer set up an appointment for November 30, 1927. The session took place at the Victor Talking Machine Company's Studio 1 in a repurposed building that had been the former Camden Trinity Baptist Church, favored for its
acoustics
Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...
. The first few numbers Rodgers sang did not appeal to Peer because they were songs by other artists, as Peer intended to record material he could copyright. Rodgers then sang a new composition, which Peer named "Blue Yodel" because of Rodgers's use of
yodeling
Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from the ...
during its breaks.
The series of songs, later known as "
Blue Yodels", often featured the story of a man who exaggerated his qualities as a lover, faced the threat of other men taking his woman, and then used violence against them when they did. Meanwhile, the character boasted of promiscuity with the use of
double entendre
A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
s. Rodgers either developed the usage of yodeling in his act over the years, or was inspired by
Emmet Miller's recordings and live appearances. Jimmie Rodgers's wife Carrie suggested that her husband chose not to record one of his Blue Yodels during the first session so as not to distract Peer from his vocal and guitar abilities. Rodgers also had doubts about the reception the song's storyline would receive. "Blue Yodel" was used to tell the story of Thelma, who leaves the narrator for another man. While the narrator assures his love interest that he can replace her easily, he plans to seek vengeance on her and the lover. The narrator declares "I can get more women than a passenger train can haul", and he says he is going to shoot Thelma "just to see her jump and fall". He adds that he is going to kill the man with a shotgun, and then leave the state of Georgia.
The writing of "Blue Yodel" was credited to Rodgers. Like other
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
performers at the time, Rodgers composed his songs by mixing original lines with those of traditional and roadshow songs.
Jim Jackson first recorded the opening line, "T for Texas, T for Tennessee" on his song "
Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues
"Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues" is a 1927 song, written and recorded by the American blues musician Jim Jackson. He recorded it on October 10, 1927 for Vocalion Records, who released it as a two-part A-side and B-side single. It was Jackson's ...
", a month before the "Blue Yodel" recording session took place. Around the same time as Rodgers's recording, the line appeared in
Lonnie Johnson's rendition of Jackson's song, and later in
Frank Stokes's "Nehi Mamma Blues".
Bessie Smith
Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and ...
's 1924 recording of the
Spencer Williams
Spencer Williams (October 14, 1889 – July 14, 1965) was an American jazz and popular music composer, pianist, and singer. He is best known for his hit songs " Basin Street Blues", "I Ain't Got Nobody", "Royal Garden Blues", "I've Found a New B ...
-penned "Ticket Agent, Ease Your Window Down" features the line, "I can get more men than a passenger train can haul."
In
Papa Charlie Jackson
Papa Charlie Jackson (November 10, 1887 – May 7, 1938) was an early American bluesman and songster who accompanied himself with a banjo guitar, a guitar, or a ukulele. His recording career began in 1924. Much of his life remains a mystery, ...
's 1925 ""The Faking Blues", the line is changed to, "I can get more women than a passenger train can haul." Meanwhile, a line similar to "shooting Thelma" appeared in
Ma Rainey
Gertrude "Ma" Rainey ( Pridgett; April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was an American blues singer and influential early blues recording artist. Dubbed the "Mother of the Blues", she bridged earlier vaudeville and the authentic expression of s ...
's 1924 "
See See Rider Blues
"See See Rider", also known as "C.C. Rider", "See See Rider Blues" or "Easy Rider", is a popular American 12-bar blues song that became a standard in several genres. Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was the first to record it on October 16, 1924, at Para ...
". Contemporary to Rodgers's recording, the line "just to see her fall" is echoed in Lonnie Johnson's "Low Land Moan".
The tune for "Blue Yodel" follows the traditional blues
AAB pattern, which consists of singing a line twice and closing with a third one. The end of each stanza features a yodeling break, as its
turnarounds emulate the conventional blues
licks of the time. "Blue Yodel" features a slowed down
ragtime
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...
rhythm. The syllables used for the yodel are the traditional yo-de-lay-ee, in a short-long-short form. Its
modal frame
A modal frame in music is "a number of types permeating and unifying African, European, and American song" and melody., quoted in Richard Middleton (1990/2002). ''Studying Popular Music'', p. 203. Philadelphia: Open University Press. . It may als ...
features
flatted seventh
Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven.
Seventh may refer to:
* Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
* A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts
Film and television
*"The Seventh", a second-season e ...
and
third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
chords, characteristic of
African American music
African-American music is an umbrella term covering a diverse range of music and musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Their origins are in musical forms that first came to be due to the condition of slaver ...
and suggesting a "grinding, sexual movement". Rodgers played the guitar in the style of a
walking bass
Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...
. He thumbed certain strings, while he brushed the high strings of the chords with his fingers. "Blue Yodel" was recorded in two takes, with the second one picked as the master. The session produced four songs.
Release and reception
![Jimmie Rodgers 1928 tour promotion](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Jimmie_Rodgers_1928_tour_promotion.jpg)
Some time after the Studio 1 recording session, in a letter to his aunt, Rodgers complained about what he considered the late release for his second record, set for April 1928. But, as his debut record began to sell well, Peer and Victor decided to release a new recording earlier. They felt "Blue Yodel" was the strongest number from the second session and paired it with "Away Out in the Mountain". The disk was issued under catalog number Victor 21142, on February 3, 1928. Upon its release, "Blue Yodel" enjoyed success. Rodgers took a job with Washington, D.C., radio station WTTF, while continuing to make records with Victor.
Throughout 1928, sales of "Blue Yodel" increased, and Rodgers had his first hit song. It spent 14 consecutive weeks atop the Victor sales list. Though it was already present in
cowboy songs
Western music is a form of country music composed by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the Western United States and Western Canada. Western music celebrates the lifestyle of the cowboy on the open ranges, Rocky Mountains, a ...
, yodeling became Rodgers's trademark. He became one of the most popular recording stars of the time, and was known as "America's Blue Yodeler". By September 1928, Rodgers's income in royalties from Victor ranged from U$75,000 () to $100,000 () yearly, mostly stemming from the sales of "Blue Yodel". The song sold over a million copies and became Rodgers's career top seller. He often performed it during live appearances, garnering a good reception from audiences. In 1930, Rodgers sang the song for his
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
short film ''
The Singing Brakeman''.
Peer subsequently analyzed the tunes Rodgers offered in the recording studio as his own "originals" more closely after the copyright holders of the tune of a later Rodgers release threatened to sue Victor and demanded royalties. With the release of "Blue Yodel No. 2" in 1928, "Blue Yodel" was referred to in the Victor catalogs as "Blue Yodel No. 1". In later years, the song became popularly known as "T for Texas", and often stylized as "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T For Texas)" on record releases.
Riley Puckett
George Riley Puckett (May 7, 1894 – July 13, 1946) was an American country music pioneer, best known as a member of Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers.
His dynamic single-string guitar playing, featuring dramatic bass runs, earned for him a ...
recorded his own version of the song, which was released on
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
in April 1928. Following its release, other artists started recording their renditions, that often imitated Rodgers's style to exploit his success. Frankie Marvin recorded it along with "Out Away in the Mountain", while Frankie Wallace released a version in June 1928.
Cliff Carlisle
Cliff Carlisle (May 6, 1903 – April 5, 1983) was an American country and blues musician, singer and songwriter. Carlisle was a yodeler and was a pioneer in the use of the Hawaiian steel guitar in country music. He was a brother of country mu ...
entitled his version, recorded in February 1930, "T for Texas".
Legacy
Later recordings
Texas Ruby
Ruby Agnes Owens (June 4, 1908 – March 29, 1963), professionally better known as Texas Ruby, was an American pioneering country music female vocalist and musician of the late 1930s through to the early 1960s. Her brother was famous as Tex ...
and
Zeke Clements
Zeke Clements (September 6, 1911 – June 4, 1994) was an American country musician often dressed in a Western outfit. He was known as "The Dixie Yodeler."
Biography
Clements was born near Empire, Alabama. In 1928, his career began when he joine ...
covered the song for
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
in 1937. In 1948, ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' deemed
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States. His songs' lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic expl ...
's rendition for
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
as "excellent". The aggregate score of 83 was based on the reviews of disc jockeys, record dealers, and jukebox operators. The magazine's reviewer noted that the record "should register with the folk trade".
Grandpa Jones
Louis Marshall Jones (October 20, 1913 – February 19, 1998), known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and "old time" country and gospel music singer. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.McCall, Michael; ...
's 1962 version for
Monument Records
Monument Records is an American record label in Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958 by Fred Foster, Buddy Deane (a prominent Baltimore disc jockey at WTTG), and business manager Jack Kirby. Buddy Deane soon left ...
peaked at number five on ''Billboard'' US
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart.
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...
included their version on their 1968 album ''
Roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
''. It appeared as "T for Texas" performed by
Tompall Glaser
Thomas Paul "Tompall" Glaser (September 3, 1933 – August 12, 2013) was an American outlaw country music artist.
Biography
Glaser was born in Spalding, Nebraska, the son of Alice Harriet Marie (née Davis) and Louis Nicholas Glaser. He was ...
on the
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
compilation album ''
Wanted! The Outlaws
''Wanted! The Outlaws'' is a compilation album by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, released by RCA Records in 1976. The album consists of previously released material with four new songs. Released to capitalize on ...
'', country music's first platinum-certified record in the US. The single featuring the song peaked at number 39 in the Hot Country Songs chart.
Influence
"Blue Yodel" was inducted into the
Grammy Hall of Fame
The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...
in 1985, and added to the
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...
in 2004. ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' placed it at number 29 on their list 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time. The publication's staff defined it as "a phenomenon that created country music's very first superstar", and described Rodgers's yodel as "the sound of pain made charming, even sweet". ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' critic
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin (; born April 24, 1976) is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for ''The A.V. Club'', a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013. commented that the song "helped create the blueprint for country".
"Blue Yodel" was one of the favorite tunes of
Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...
's father. Rodgers became one of Scruggs's influences, and the song became a fixture in his act. Rodgers's lyrics from "Blue Yodel", "I'm gonna shoot poor Thelma/Just to see her jump and fall" inspired
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
, who listened to Rodgers, to write the line "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die" for 1955's "
Folsom Prison Blues
"Folsom Prison Blues" is a song by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. Written in 1953, it was first recorded in 1955 for his debut studio album '' Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!'' (1957), appearing as the album's eleventh track. T ...
". In his book, ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece'', Michael Streissguth comments "a case of plagiarism
ver the linecan, and has, been made". Cash recorded the song with
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
in 1969.
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
recorded a version the same year. During band member
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
's childhood, his father returned from a trip to the United States with records by Rodgers, including "Blue Yodel". Harrison credited Rodgers for his interest in learning to play the guitar, and use the song's in his "Rocking Chair in Hawaii" on the 2002 posthumous album
Brainwashed
Brainwashed may refer to:
*Brainwashing, to affect a person's mind by using extreme mental pressure or any other mind-affecting process
Music Albums
* Brainwashed (George Harrison album), ''Brainwashed'' (George Harrison album), 2002, or the ...
.
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...
, whose lead singer
Ronnie Van Zant
Ronald Wayne Van Zant (January 15, 1948 – October 20, 1977) was an American singer, best known as the original lead vocalist, primary lyricist and a founding member of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He is the older brother of current ...
considered Rodgers one of his favorite artists, often performed the song. Actor and singer
Harry Dean Stanton
Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor, musician, and singer.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including '' Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Kelly's Heroe ...
remembered "Blue Yodel" as one of the first blues songs he ever sang.
Bonnie Parker
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut (Champion) Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. The co ...
, a fan of Rodgers, often sang the song during her childhood.
Charts
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{{authority control
1928 singles
1928 songs
Blues songs
Jimmie Rodgers songs
Johnny Cash songs
Victor Talking Machine Company singles
United States National Recording Registry recordings
Songs written by Jimmie Rodgers