Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer)

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James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers (born September 18, 1933 in Camas, Washington, United States) is an American singer. He is not related to the country singer of the same name. His name is often incorrectly spelled Jimmy or Rogers.

[edit] Career

Rodgers was taught music by his mother, learned to play the piano and guitar, and formed a band while he served in the United States Air Force. Like a number of other entertainers of the era, he was one of the contestants on Arthur Godfrey's talent show on the radio. When Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore left RCA Records to found a new record company, Roulette Records, they became aware of Rodgers' talent and signed him up.

In the summer of 1957, he recorded a song called "Honeycomb", which had been recorded by Bob Merrill and Georgie Shaw three years earlier. It was Rodgers' first big hit, staying on the top of the charts for four weeks. The following year, he had a number of other hits that reached the Top 10 on the charts: "Kisses Sweeter than Wine", "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again", "Secretly", and "Are You Really Mine". Other hits include "Bo Diddley", "Bimbombey", "Ring-a-ling-a-lario", "Tucumcari," "Tender Love and Care (T.L.C)", and a version of Waltzing Matilda as a film tie-in with On the Beach. In 1958, he appeared on NBC's The Gisele MacKenzie Show. He then had his own short-lived televised variety show on NBC. In the UK, "Honeycomb" reached Number 30 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1957, but "Kisses Sweeter than Wine" climbed to Number 7 the following month.^[1] His biggest hit in the UK was "English Country Garden", which reached Number 5 in the chart in June 1962.^[1]

In 1962, he moved to the Dot label, and four years later to A&M Records. He also appeared in some movies, including The Little Shepard of Kingdom Come, opposite Neil Hamilton, and Back Door to Hell, which he helped finance.

In 1966, a long dry spell ended for Rodgers when he re-entered the Top 40 with "It's Over" (later to be covered by Eddy Arnold and Elvis Presley). In 1967, he had his final charting single, "Child of Clay". On December 20, 1967, while preparing to do a film for 20th Century Fox, he was assaulted after allegedly being pulled over by an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer on the San Diego Freeway in Southern California, receiving a severe beating, leading to a skull fracture. Neither the assailant(s) nor the reason for the assault has ever been established. Not long after the assault, he appeared on a late-night talk show and discussed it, but all he could recall were bright lights, presumably from the car of his attacker(s). Rodgers later claimed that members of the San Diego Police Department had assaulted him.^{[citation needed]} After he sued the Los Angeles Police Department,^{[citation needed]} the LAPD settled out of court for $200,000.^{[citation needed]}

Recovery from his injuries caused an approximately year-long period in which he ceased to perform. He eventually returned, though not reaching the singles chart again. He did, however, make an appearance on the album chart as late as 1969. Also, during the summer of 1969, he made a brief return to network television with a summer variety show on ABC.

Shortly after his 1967 beating incident, his first wife, Colleen, with whom he had two children, Michelle and Michael, died as the result of a fatal blood clot. He remarried in 1970, and Jimmie and Trudy Rodgers had two sons, Casey and Logan. He and Trudy divorced in the late 1970s, and he remarried again. Jimmie and Mary Rodgers are still married today, and they have a daughter, Katrine, who was born in 1989.

Jimmie appears in a 1999 Video, "Rock & Roll Graffiti" by American Public Television, along with about 20 other performers. He says he's had spastic dysphonia for a number of years and can hardly sing. Nevertheless, he gives a try at "Honeycomb", and he mentions that he has a show in Branson MO.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

[edit] Films

Rodgers parlayed his singing fame into a brief movie career with lead performances in:

• The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come (1961)
• Back Door to Hell (1964)

[edit] Television

• TV appearances included performances on American Bandstand, Kraft Music Hall, and Hootenanny, as well as the following:
• Hee Haw ...Himself (2 episodes, November 25, 1979 and November 3, 1980)
• The George Burns Show ...Himself; Jimmie Rodgers Moves in with Ronnie (1 episode, 1959)
• The Mike Douglas Show ...Himself (2 episodes, May 15 and May 21, 1970)
• The Merv Griffin Show ...Himself (1 episode, May 5, 1970)
• The Andy Williams Show ...Himself (1 episode, January 24, 1970)
• House Party, aka Art Linkletter's House Party ...Himself (1 episode, August 24, 1964)
• Sunday Showcase, aka NBC Sunday Showcase - The Jimmy Durante Show (1959) ...Himself (1 episode, 1959)] (1959)
• The Steve Allen Show, aka The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (U.S.: new title)......Himself - Singer (2 episodes, Nos 4.31/4.4 - 1958-1959)
• Toast of the Town, aka The Ed Sullivan Show (U.S.: new title)......Himself (4 episodes, Nos. 0.50/11.6/11/18/11.36 - 1957-1958)
• The 30th Annual Academy Awards (1958) ...Himself - Performer
• Shower of Stars ...Himself (1 episode, Comedy Time - 1957)
• The Jimmie Rodgers Show TV Series, aka Carol Burnett Presents the Jimmie Rodgers Show

In the mid 1960s, he re-recorded (with altered tunes and words referring to the products) two of his best-known songs, for use in television advertisements:

• "Honeycomb" was adapted for a Post Cereals product called "Honeycomb".
• "Oh-Oh, I'm Falling in Love Again" was adapted for one of Franco-American's pasta products: "Oh-Oh, SpaghettiO's!"^[2]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Jimmierodgershoneycomb.com
• Geocities.com
• Geocities.com
• IMDb.com
• Bsnpubs.com