The Carter family: pioneer country music singers
When the Carter Family made their first country music recordings for Victor Records, in 1927, they created a musical style that persists to this day. Nestled in the shadow of Clinch Mountain, in the crossroads hamlet of Maces Spring, Virginia, sits one of the most rustic concert theaters in the world. It is made of rough-cut lumber with sides that swing open on hinges to admit summer breezes. In winter, the entire building is heated by wood and coal-fed iron stoves. The seating is a medley of old chairs taken from abandoned theaters, and discarded church pews. Carpeting consists of remnants and sample squares, in an infinite variety of colors and designs. It looks like the entire building was thrown together from a jumble of second thoughts.
Beside the theater is a tiny white clapboard building surrounded by spreading trees. Inside are stacks of ancient 78 rpm phonograph records, thousands of faded pictures and dozens of dogeared scrapbooks. Clothing is sealed behind glass wall cases -- the expensive dress worn by June Carter Cash on a visit to Jimmy Carter's White House and a dress suit worn by her husband, Johnny, on the same night. In stark contrast is a pair of ragged britches with broken suspenders that are attached to the waistband with a rusty nail.
The little museum was once a general store and its proprietor was one of the true legends of country music -- A.P. Carter. He opened his business in the 1940s simply because he wanted something to do. A.P. was also the threadbare owner of the pants with the broken suspenders.
The theater and museum, now called the Carter Fold, are operated by A.P.'s daughter and son, Jeanette and Joe. Although Joe designed and built the theater, Jeanette is the prime mover behind the Fold. She wanted to build a living memorial to her father, her mother Sara, and her Aunt Maybelle -- members of the first modern country singing group.
The Carter Family was not the first country music group and certainly not the first to make records. But the Carter Family, according to some scholars, heralded the beginning of modern country music -- a major break from the string bands that had recorded up to that time.
Ralph Peer (first working for Okeh Records, then for Victor) had been recording so-called "hillbilly groups" for five years, mostly around Atlanta. But in 1927, he decided to take his recording equipment to Bristol, Tennessee on a talent search. To flush local singers out of the hills he advertised in local newspapers that he would audition all comers. About three dozen singers and groups answered the call, including the Carters and another country legend-to-be, Jimmie Rodgers.
The Carters had already been singing in local churches, schoolhouses and auditoriums for years. On a hot July day the Carter Family recorded six of their songs for Peer including "The Wandering Boy" and "Single Girl, Married Girl". The records sold well and Victor offered the Carters a long term contract.
Over the next 15 years. the Carters cut over 300 sides for nearly every major record company in the business. Sara, A.P.'s wife, sang lead and played the autoharp. Maybelle, a tiny woman who had married A.P.'s brother Ezra, sang harmony and played a jazz-style guitar that was almost as big as she was. A.P. sang bass.
A.P. constantly searched out new material for the group. He would disappear for days, roaming the Virginia mountains, seeking new songs. Then he would arrange each new song to his family's style and copyright it -- even the folk songs. This is why his name appears on songs that he could not have possibly written -- "Wildwood Flower" or "Wreck of the Old '97". But he did pen new songs of his own like "My Clinch Mountain Home" and "The Cyclone At Rye Cove".
Throughout their recording career, the Carter Family never changed their musical style. Rising stars like Roy Acuff and Gene Autry modernized Carter material but the Carter Family remained the same, thereby losing ground to new performers. The first "modern" country singers were standing stone still while the rest of the world passed them by.
On top of all this, A.P. and Sara separated in 1932 (they divorced seven years later) and Maybelle and her husband had moved to Washington, D.C. The trio seldom saw each other except at recording sessions. The Carter Family was definitely on the downswing by the late 30s.
The group's popularity was temporarily revitalized when they signed a contract with powerful radio station XERF in Del Rio, Texas. The increased exposure gave the Carters a brief surge in popularity. The group continued to record until 1943 when Sara decided to retire and move to California with her new husband. Maybelle, in the meantime, joined her three daughters and began making records on her own. A.P., who could not hold his own as a solo act, retired to Maces Spring and opened his general store.
In 1952, A.P. and Sara, along with their grown children Jeanette and Joe, reformed the Carter Family to record about 100 songs for Acme Records of Kentucky, but the project failed. The act broke up for a second time in 1956.
When A.P. Carter died in 1960, several record companies including Columbia and RCA Victor reissued LP collections of the original Carter Family sides. New interest in the group surfaced and scholars began looking seriously at their contribution to country music. In the meantime, a new generation of warblers -- Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Doc Watson among them -- began issuing their own versions of Carter Family songs.
Now on Saturday nights, hundreds of fans crowd the Carter Fold in Maces Spring to celebrate not only A.P., Sara and Maybelle, but traditional performances of country music as well. Both Joe and Jeanette participate in the concerts, and Carter memorabilia and records are sold in front of the stage each night.
The Carter Family made comparatively little money during their career because A.P. insisted on playing smaller dates. And, after 1932, the family was hardly together except for recording sessions. Even though most of their records sold well, royalties were low and the records seldom made them much money.
When A.P. returned to Virginia for the last time, there was barely enough money left to pay the bills and he was forced to live with Jeanette and her husband. Perhaps, if he had been willing to change a bit more with the times, he would have been able to afford new pair of suspenders in his old age instead of having to hold up his britches with a rusty nail.
Who is Leadbelly? Biography of Bessie Smith, queen of the blues>>
Country Music history
One of the most popular forms of contemporary music is country music, which found its humble beginnings in the early 1920s when folk music was taken one step further. Those who claimed fame, (mostly from the Appalachians) for having introduced folk music to the nation were now in the first quarter of the twentieth century introducing a slightly more sophisticated styling of the 'hillbilly' sound already made popular.
HONKY TONK SOUND
In the eighty plus years of country music history, its sound and style has changed dramatically, at least in some respects. In its earliest years, it was the honky-tonk sound from the likes of Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams that made up the genre of country music. Roadside pubs and meeting houses throughout Oklahoma and Texas were packed every Friday and Saturday evening with fans and curiosity seekers alike, anxious to listen to the fast-rising sounds of steel guitars and drums. Those pubs were popular though for more than just the latest craze in American music---the repeal of prohibition in 1933 also relaxed the minds of many when it came to public drinking; now the audiences could enjoy their favorite music and alcoholic beverages at the same time.
Although Tubb and Williams had their share of popularity with the honky-tonk sound, it was Al Dexter who cut the first record with the actual words 'honky-tonk' in 1936. Tubb's single, 'Walking the Floor Over You,' released in 1941, would go on to sell more than one million copies—--quite a feat in any form of music. ' Your Cheatin' Heart,' cut by Williams in 1953, is perhaps one of the best-known records of the honky-tonk era. It was not his only hit though; in his lifetime Williams recorded more than one hundred songs.
WESTERN SOUND OF COUNTRY
Another form of the country music style is known as western-country. While honky-tonks were filled with its fans, theatres were filled with fans of the cowboy songs made popular, again, in Texas and Oklahoma. The often-romanticized life of the cowboy, heroic but lonely, drifting, fit in perfectly with this style of music that took its sound from the hills of Tennessee and the bayous of Louisiana. More often than not at least one part of the western song would include a lonesome whistle from the flute or other mellow-sounding wind instrument. The lyrics to the western sound centered directly on the pains and sorrows of life on the western frontier. Some of those famous for this western style were Gene Autry, America's singing cowboy, and Roy Rogers , who later teamed with wife Dale Evans to become a famous due of the genre. Rogers also had been a part of The Sons of the Pioneers , a band that brought the frontier sound to over 80 westerns between 1935-1948.
ROCKABILLY SOUND OF COUNTRY
Country music morphed once again in the early 1950s with a sound that became known as rockabilly—a mix of the southern hills music and the blues. This sound was made popular by many performers who developed staying power in the country music industry. They include the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Carl Perkins, and, of course, the king himself—Elvis Presley.
With its faster paced sound and constant rhythm, this form of country quickly worked its way up the record charts as Americans, too, found themselves living a lifestyle that was a much quicker pace than the generation of their parents.
NASHVILLE SOUND
It's in this town in the state of Tennessee that country music found its permanent home. It's here that the sound of country and all its variations have been produced, since 1925 when Nashville Barn Dance was established. By 1935, when it became known as the Grand Ole Opry, national broadcasting had begun---soon after saw a huge influx of country-star wanna-bes drawing to Nashville in hopes of a chance of making the big time. The first of those who flocked to Nashville were, among others, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline , Buddy Holly, and Kitty Wells, otherwise known as the Queen of country music. By the 1960s, those and others had a new sound created for their vocal talents— Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins molded these performers into what became known as the Nashville sound .
This was most definitely the sound of country, but as stated earlier, this form of music has changed dramatically - the sixties saw more than steel guitars and drums in the Nashville sound. Now complete orchestras were brought in to add a lushness, or softness, to the country sound. Now, too, the ever popular use of synthesizers, studio effects, and over-dubbing were used to create a rich, full sound that no steel guitar and drum-set could ever hope to create. This era of country was the beginning of the age of contemporary country music. It was this sound, made popular in the sixties and seventies, that would enable artists from many different walks to join in the folds of the country music industry. Cross-overs from the pop genre included Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty - all had great success when they recorded in the new style of the Nashville sound.
Today country music is perhaps at its highest peak of popularity—the road to success paved by Cline, Tubbs, Williams, Wells, and others is now treaded upon by mega-stars like Garth Brooks, the team of Brooks and Dunn, Reba McIntire, Vince Gill, and dozens of others who are quoted with their thanks and gratitude to the pioneers of the sound of country music.
---------
Jimmie Rodgers : Biography
"His is the music of America. He sang the songs of the people he loved, of a young nation growing strong. His was an America of glistening rails, thundering boxcars, and rain-swept night, of lonesome prairies, great mountains and a high blue sky. He sang of the bayous and the cornfields, the wheated plains, of the little towns, the cities, and of the winding rivers of America." -- inscribed on jimmi1 Rodgers' statue in Meridian, Mississippi.
Jimmie Rodgers was born on September 8, 1897 in Meridian, Mississippi, the youngest of three sons. His mother died when he was a very young boy, and Rodgers spent the next few years living with various relatives in southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama. He eventually returned home to live with his father, Aaron Rodgers, a Maintenance of Way Foreman on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, who had settled with a new wife in Meridian.
Jimmie's affinity for entertaining came at an early age, and the lure of the road was irresistible to him. By age 13, he had twice organized and begun traveling shows, only to be brought home by his father. Both of these incidents shed light on his drive to perform. The first time he was caught, he had stolen some of his sister-in-law's bedsheets and joined them to make a crude tent. Upon his return to Meridian, he paid for the sheets, having made enough money with his show! For the second trip with his troupe, he had charged to his father (without his knowing) an expensive sidewall canvas tent. It's not known whether or not jimmie paid for the tent, but not long after that, Mr. Rodgers found jimmie, his first job working on the railroad, as waterboy on his father's gang. A few years later, he became brakeman on the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad, a position secured by his oldest brother, Walter, a conductor on the line running between Meridian and New Orleans.
In 1924, at the age of 27, jimmie contracted tuberculosis, and the paradox of this development is bittersweet. The disease temporarily ended his railroad career, but, at the same time, gave him the chance to get back to his first love, entertainment. He organized a traveling road show and performed across the southeast until, once again, he was forced home after a cyclone destroyed his tent. He returned to railroad work as a brakeman on the east coast of Florida at Miami, but eventually his illness cost him his job. In vain, he relocated to Tucson, Arizona (thinking the dry climate might have an effect on his TB), and was employed as a switchman by the South Pacific; the job lasted less than a year, and the Rodgers family (which by then included wife Carrie and daughter Anita) settled back in Meridian in 1927.
It's not exactly known why jimmie decided to travel to Asheville, North Carolina, later that year. Some say he was searching for a rumored job on the railroad (one that didn't exist), while others speculate that it was the mountain air. Though he probably gave these as reasons, most likely, it was due to the burgeoning music scene in North Carolina.
In February of 1927, Asheville's first radio station, WWNC, went on the air, and on April 18, at 9:30 p.m., jimmie and Otis Kuykendall performed for the first time on the station. A few months later, jimmie recruited a group from Tennessee called the Tenneva Ramblers and secured a weekly slot on the station as the jimmie Rodgers Entertainers. The performances provoked two separate comments that hinted at Rodgers' future success. A review in The Asheville Times remarked that "Jimmy (sic) Rodgers and his entertainers managed...with a type of music quite different than [the station's usual material], but a kind that finds a cordial reception from a large audience." And from another columnist: "whoever that fellow is, he either is a winner or he is going to be."
The Tenneva Ramblers originally hailed from Bristol, Tennessee , and in late July of 1927, Rodgers' bandmates got word that Ralph Peer, a representative of Victor Talking Machine Company, was coming to Bristol to audition and record area musicians. Rodgers and the group quickly mobilized and arrived in Bristol on August 3. Later that same day, they auditioned for Peer in an empty warehouse where he had set up the company's recording equipment. Peer agreed to record them the next day. That night, as the band discussed how they would be billed on the record, an argument ensued, which led jimmie to declare, "All right...I'll just sing one myself."
Jimmie was on his own, another twist in a long list of fateful circumstances that changed musical history.On Wednesday, August 4, jimmie Rodgers completed his first session for Victor. It lasted from 2:00 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. and yielded two songs: "Sleep, Baby, Sleep" and " The Soldier's Sweetheart." For the test recordings, Rodgers received $100.
The recordings were released on October 7, 1927, to modest success, and in November of that year, Jimmie, determined more than ever to make it in entertainment, headed to New York City with two goals: to find out the exact sales status of the first recordings, and to try to arrange another session with Peer. Peer agreed to record him again, and the two met in Philadelphia before traveling to Camden, New Jersey, to the Victor studios.
Four songs made it out of this session. " Ben Dewberry's Final Run"; "Mother Was A Lady"; "Away Out on the Mountain"; and " T for Texas." In the next two years, the acetate that contained "T for Texas" (released as "Blue Yodel") and "Away Out on the Mountain" sold nearly half a million copies, which was impressive enough to rocket Rodgers into stardom. After this, he got to determine when Peer and Victor would record him, and he sold out shows whenever and wherever he played.
In the next few years, Rodgers was very busy. He did a movie short, The Singing Brakeman, and made various recordings across the country. He toured with humorist Will Rogers as part of a Red Cross tour across the Midwest. On July 16, 1930, he even recorded "Blue Yodel #9" (also known as "Standin' on the Corner") with a young jazz trumpeter named Louis Armstrong, whose wife, Lillian, played piano on the track. Rodgers' next to last recordings were made in August of 1932 in Camden and it was clear that TB was getting the better of him. He had given up touring by that time but did have a weekly radio show in San Antonio, Texas, where he'd relocated when "T for Texas" became a hit.
With the country in full grip of the depression, the practice of making field recordings was quickly fading, so in May of 1933, Rodgers traveled again to New York City for a group of sessions beginning May 17. He started these sessions recording alone and completed four songs on the first take. But there was no question that Rodgers was running out of track. When he returned to the studio after a day's rest, he had to record sitting down and soon retreated to his hotel in hopes of regaining enough energy to finish the songs he'd been rehearsing.
The recording engineer hired two session musicians to help Rodgers when he came back to the studio a few days later. Together, they recorded a few songs, including " Mississippi Delta Blues." For his last song of the session, however, jimmie chose to perform alone, and as a matching bookend to his career, recorded " Years Ago" by himself, finishing as he'd started years earlier, just a man and his instrument. Within 36 hours, "The Father of Country Music" was dead.
Thankfully, his legend and legacy are alive and well.
Jimmie Rodgers Discography:
- BVE 39767-4 The Soldiers Sweetheart-October 7, 1927 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 39768-3 Sleep Baby Sleep-October 7, 1927 (Public Domain)
- BVE 40751-2 Ben Dewberry's Final Run-April 6, 1928 (Andy Jenkins)
- BVE 40752-2 Mother Was A Lady-August 3, 1928 (Edward B. Marks and Joseph Stern)
- BVE 40753-2 Blue Yodel-February 3, 1928 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 40754-2 Away Out on the Mountain-February 3, 1928 (Kelly Harrell)
- BVE 41736-2 Dear Old Sunny South by the Sea-October 5, 1928 (Jimmie Rodgers and E.T. Cozzens)
- BVE 41737-2 Treasures Untold-August 3, 1928 (Jimmie Rodgers and E.T. Cozzens)
- BVE 41738-2 The Brakeman's Blues-May 4, 1928 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 41739-2 The Sailor's Plea-April 19, 1929 (Elsie McWilliams and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 41740-2 In The Jailhouse Now-April 6, 1928 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 41741-2 Blue Yodel-No. II-May 4, 1928 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 41742-2 Memphis Yodel-November 2, 1928 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 41743-2 Blue Yodel-No. 3-September 7, 1928 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 45090-2 My Old Pal-December 2, 1928 (Elsie McWilliams and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 45901-2 Mississippi Moon-Unissued-Remade February 4, 1932
- BVE 45093-2 My Little Old Home Down in New Orleans-October 5, 1928 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 45094-2 You and My Old Guitar-June 7, 1929 (Elsie McWilliams and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 45095-2 Daddy and Home-December 2, 1928 (Elsie McWilliams and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 45096-2 My Little Lady-June 7,1929 (Elsie McWilliams and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 45097-2 I'm Lonely and Blue-Unissued-Remade Oct 22, 1928 (Elsie McWilliams and Jimmie R)
- BVE 45098-2 Lullaby Yodel-November 2, 1928 (Elsie McWilliams and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 45099-3 Never No Mo' Blues-September 7, 1928 ((Elsie McWilliams and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 47215-3 My Carolina Sunshine Girl-August 22, 1929 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 47216-4 Blue Yodel No. 4- February 8, 1929 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 47223-4 Waiting for a Train-February 8, 1929 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 47224-5 I'm Lonely and Blue-April 19, 1929 (Elsie McWilliams and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 48384-3 Desert Blues-August 22, 1929 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 48385-2 Any Old Time-September 5, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 49990-2 Blue Yodel No. 5-September 20,1929 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 49991-3 High Powered Mama-October 17,1930 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 49992-2 I'm Sorry We Met-September 20, 1929 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 55307-2 Everybody Does It in Hawaii-Nov 22, 1929 (Elsie McWilliams and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 55308-3 Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues-Jan 3, 1930 (Jimmie R, Joe Kaipo, and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 55309-2 Train Whistle Blues-June 5, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 55332-2 jimmi1's Texas Blues-June 5, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 55333-2 Frankie and Johnny-November 22, 1929 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 55344-3 Frankie and Johnny-Unissued
- BVE 55345-3 Home Call-August 12, 1929 (Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 56449-4 Whisper Your Mother's Name-April 4, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 56450-4 The Land of My Boyhood Dreamz-July 14, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 56453-3 Blue Yodel No. 6-February 21, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 56454-3 Yodeling Cowboy-February 21, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 56455-3 My Rough and Rowdy Ways-Jan 3, 1930 (Jimmie R & Elsie McWilliams)
- BE 56456-3 I've Ranged, I've Roamed, and I've Traveled-Apr 10, 1935 (Jimmie R and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 56528-3 Hobo Bill's Last Ride-August 1, 1930 (Waldo O'Neal)
- BVE 56594-4 Mississippi River Blues-April 24, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 56595-4 Nobody Knows But Me-March 13, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 56607-3 Anniversary Blue Yodel-September 5, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 56608-3 She Was Happy Till She Met You-July 1, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 56617-4 Blue Yodel No. Eleven-June 30, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 56618-3 A Drunkard's Child-April 4, 1930 (Andrew Jenkins and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BVE 56619-3 That's Why I'm Blue-August 1, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 56620-4 Why Did You Give Me Your Love?-April 10,1935 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- PBVE 54849-3 My Blue-Eyed Jane-June 5, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers and LuluBell White)
- PBVE 54850-3 Why Should I Be Lonely-December 4, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers and Estelle Lovell)
- PBVE 54851-3 Moonlight and Skies-October 23, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers and Raymond E. Hall)
- PBVE 54852-2 Pistol Packin' Papa-December 5, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers and Waldo O'Neal)
- PBVE 54854-3 Take Me Back Again-May 25, 1938 (Jimmie Rodgers and Raymond E. Hall)
- PBVE 54855-3 Those Gambler's Blues-December 5, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- PBVE 54856-3 I'm Lonesome Too-July 17, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- PBVE 54857-3 The One Rose-December 1, 1937 (Lani McIntire)
- PBVE 54860-2 For The Sake of Days Gone By-Unissued (Remade July 9,1930)
- PBVE 54860-2 For The Sake of Days Gone By-April 8,1932 (Jimmie Rodgers and Jack White)
- PBVE 54861-3 jimmi1's Mean Mama Blues-February 6, 1931 (Waldo O'Neal and Bob Sawyer)
- PBVE 54862-3 The Mystery of Number Five-March 13, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- PBVE 54863-3 Blue Yodel No. 8-February 6, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- PBVE 54864-3 In The Jailhouse Now-No.2-October 17, 1930 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- PBVE 54867-3 Blue Yodel No. 9-September 11, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- PBVE 1302-1 The Pullman Porters
- BVE 67133-3 T.B. Blues-April 24, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers and Raymond E. Hall)
- BVE 67134-3 Travellin' Blues-July 17,1931 (Jimmie Rodgers and Shelly Lee Alley)
- BVE 67135-3 jimmi1 The Kid-June 5, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers and Jack Neville)
- BVE 69412-3 Why Theres a Tear In My Eye-November 23, 1936 (A.P. Carter)
- BVE 69413-3 The Wonderful City-February 17, 1937 (Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 69424-4 Let Me Be Your Sidetrack-December 31, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 69427-3 jimmi1 Rodgers Visits the Carter Family-Unissued (Remade June 12, 1931)
- BVE 69428-3 The Carter Family and jimmi1 Rodgers in Texas-Unissued (Remade June 12, 1931)
- BVE 69427-1 jimmi1 Rodgers Visits the Carter Family-October 23, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 69428-1 The Carter Family and jimmi1 Rodges in Texas-January 20, 1937 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 69432-3 When the Cactus is in Bloom-February 26, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 69439-3 Gamblin Polka Dot Blues-February 26, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers Raymond E. Hall)
- BVE 69443-3 Looking For A New Mama-September 11, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 69448-4 What's It?-December 4, 1931 (Jimmie Rodgers and Jack Neville)
- BVE 69449-3 My Good Gal's Gone Blues-May 22, 1935 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 69458-4 Southern Cannon-Ball-July 14, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers and Raymond E. Hall)
- BVE 69032-4 Rodger's Puzzle Record-December 31, 1931
- BVE 70645-2 Roll Along, Kentucky Moon-April 8, 1932 (Bill Halley)
- BVE 70646-2 Hobo's Meditation-September 23, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 70647-3 My Time Ain't Long-May 20, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers Waldo O'Neal)
- BVE 70648-2 Ninety-nine Year Blues-May 20, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers and Raymond E. Hall)
- BVE 45091-2 Mississippi Moon-August 12, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)
- BVE 70649-2 Down the Old Road to Home-September 23. 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers and Carey D. Harvey)
- BVE 70650-2 Blue Yodel No. 10-August 12, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BVE 55345-2 Home Call-July 1, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers and Elsie McWilliams)
- BS 58960-5 In the Hills of Tennessee-(Unissued, remade August 29, 1932)
- BS 58961-2 Mother, the Queen of My Heart-October 21, 1932 (Hoyt Bryant and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BS 58962-2 Prohibition Has Done Me Wrong-Unissued (Jimmie Rodgers and Clayton McMichen)
- BS 58963-2 Rock All Our Babies to Sleep-October 21, 1932 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BS 58964-2 Whippin' That Old T.B.-January 13, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BS 58968-3 No Hard Times-January 13, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BS 58969-1 Long Tall Mama Blues-February 24, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BS 58970-2 Peach Pickin' Time Down in Georgia-Apr 7, 1933 (Jimmie R and Clayton McMichen)
- BS 58971-3 Gambling Bar Room Blues-February 24, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers and Shelly Lee Alley)
- BS 58972-1 I've Only Loved Three Women-Feb 17, 1937 (Jimmie Rodgers and Carey D.Harvey)
- BS 73324-2 In the Hills of Tennessee-December 2, 1932 (Sam M. Lewis and Ira Schuster)
- BS 73325-2 Prairie Lullaby-April 7, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers, George Brown, and Billy Hill)
- BS 73326-2 Miss the Mississippi and You -December 2, 1932 (Billey Halley)
- BS 73327-2 Sweet Mama Hurry Home-June 30, 1933 (Jack Neville)
- BS 76138-1 Blue Yodel No. 12-June 27, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BS 76139-1 Dreaming with Tears in My Eyes-May 25, 1938 (Waldo O'Neal and jimmi1 Rodgers)
- BS 76140-1 The Cowhand's Last Ride-June 27,1933 (Jimmie Rodgers and Arza Hitt)
- BS 76141-1 I'm Free (from the Chain Gang Now)-Sep 8, 1933 (Lou Herscher and Saul Klein)
- BS 76139-1 Dreaming with Tears in My Eyes, Take 2-May 25, 1938 (Waldo O'Neal and Rodgers)
- BS 76151-2 Yodeling My Way Back Home-December 1, 1937 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BS 76160-1 jimmi1 Rodgers' Last Blue Yodel-December 20, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers)
- BS 76191-2 The Yodeling Ranger-September 8, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers and Raymond E. Hall)
- BS 76192-2 Old Pal of My Heart-July 28, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers and John B. Mason)
- BS 76327-1 Old Love Letters-Oct 20, 1933- (Jimmie Rodgers,Lou Herscher, and Dwight Butcher)
- BS 77328-2 Mississippi Delta Blues-July 28, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers and Jack Neville)
- BS 76331-2 Somewhere Down below the Dixon Line-Oc 20, 1933 (Jimmie R and Walter Ryan)
- BS 76332-2 Years Ago-December 20, 1933 (Jimmie Rodgers, Lou Herscher, and Barry Richards)
--
Joyson ":))
9880-321-833
"Geoffrey's Song List" is the DNA at Radio Indigo. His knowledge of music and experience of what the listener expects forms the basis of this thoughtfully complied list and handed over to the Radio Jockey. Naturally, there is background research, lots of homework in generating content and inputs from RJs as well to arrive at this "mix 'n' match." Elaborating he says, "It depends on the show. On an average 60-70% of the music played could be from the 70s, 80s and perhaps 10-15% would form music of the 90s and the rest totally new. In the case of a request show, the mix would be different and probably have more current hits." 
