Rogers, Jimmy

• Lane, James A.
• Rogers, James

Jimmy Rogers was a famous blues musician, known for his work with Muddy Waters as well as his R&B solo songs. In 1947, Rogers first began playing with Muddy Waters and Little Walter in Chicago, and in 1950, the trio began recording with Chess Records. Rogers first charted as a solo artist on the Billboard R&B charts in 1957 with the single “Walking by Myself.” After the rise of rock and roll, Chess Records placed less emphasis on blues music and Rodgers’s career, so Rodgers briefly left the music business in the early 60s. He returned to the blues scene in the late 60s and toured Europe, where blues music had become particularly popular. A new song, “Gold Tailed Bird,” was released in 1972, and Rogers continued to tour across the U.S. and around the world throughout the 1980s. In 1991, Rogers was awarded the W. C. Handy Award from the Blues Foundation for his song “Ludella.” He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1995, and he received the W. C. Handy Award for Best Male Traditional Blues Artist in 1996. Rogers died in 1997, but his last album, Blues Blues Blues, was released posthumously in 1998 and featured contributions from Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and others.

Written in January 2021 by Jarrod Kuckelman.

Creator Source: Library of Congress Name Authority File
Biographical/Historical Note Author: Wayne Goins