The Armpit Collection VII

Train Whistle Blues - The Legendary Jimmie Rodgers


Blues, country, and jazz, all in their prehistoric stages, coming together through one man. The music is personal, rhythmic, deeply melodic and cuts to a place that seems rightly familiar if you're an American. They say he's the father of country music, and he is. And as a matter of opinion, you could go one step further, grab Hank Williams and simply stop there and forget about the rest of country music all together. They are it! Alright, so there's some interesting points here and there through the years. But Rodgers had the fortunate circumstance and ability to combine interesting musical elements - like being at the fork in the road when it forked. He popularized a particular style of playing guitar and singing; convenient, natural, and legendary, yet managed to augment himself with interesting bands and use popular song structure. "Any Old Time" is probably the best example of his greatness. A lonely few measures of a guitar tune about a woman who's left and wants to come back, then the horn section and band kick in and holy shit, "...drop ME a line and saaaay no more you'll roam." It makes you smile, like an inside joke that everyone gets and musicians strive toward, still.