James Frederick Rodgers was a 1950s teen idol and one of the early voices of pop rock.
His first and only chart-topper was 1957’s “Honeycomb” although he had a string of hits the following year including “Oh-Oh I’m Falling In Love Again” and “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine”.
By 1959, he was hosting his own television show on NBC. He also appeared in a couple of films, Back Door To Hell and The Little Shepherd Of Kingdom Come .
On 20th December, 1967, as he was driving home from a Christmas party, a policeman pulled him over and the incident resulted in Jimmie receiving a fractured skull. The details are blurry. Jimmie says the police officer, who was off duty at the time, bashed him with a blunt instrument and beat him up. The police contended Jimmie was drunk and fell down. Whatever the cause, Rodgers sued the LAPD and they settled out of court for $200,000.
Rodgers’ career, unfortunately, was over. Even more tragically, his first wife Colleen had a fatal blood clot and died shortly thereafter. Although he attempted a couple of comebacks, including a stint in Branson, Missouri, the aftereffects of the blow he took to the head, which resulted in major reconstructive surgery, haunted him for the rest of his life.
In 2011 and 2012 he returned to his hometown of Camas, Washington, to perform to sell-out concerts and then he went home to undergo open heart surgery after a heart attack three weeks prior.
He died in Palm Desert, California in January 2021 when he was 87 years old.
Jimmie Rodgers recordings
Daylight Lights The Dawning (Jimmie Rodgers)
Froggy’s Fable (Jimmie Rodgers)
Sources:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Rodgers_(pop_singer)
2. http://imdb.com/name/nm0734720/bio
3. http://www.bransonjubilee.tv/artistsbios/jrodgers.htm
4. http://www.rockabillyeurope.com/references/messages/jimmie_f_rodgers.htm
5. http://www.kowboy.com/fiftys/rogers/