Jimmie Rodgers – Country, Folk and Pop all rolled into one.

Jimmie Rodgers Show – recorded for Canadian Radio on November 1961 – broadcast on January 5, 1962.

Many people hear the name Jimmie Rodgers and immediately gravitate to Jimmy Rodgers the Singing Brakeman, the 20th century Pioneer of Country Music. No, not that one – this Jimmie Rodgers is the artist who had a few hits, became established in Pop Music (although there were Country leanings), became the subject of a dispute with the L.A. Police Department over excessive force and who died in 2021 (the other Jimmie Rodgers died in 1933).

This Jimmie Rodgers was popular in the late 1950s/early 1960s with an across-the-board appeal in Country, Folk and Pop and pretty much faded from view by the time of his death from Kidney disease in 2021, while testing positive for COVID.

Jimmie Rodgers first gained popularity in the ’50s and ’60s after releasing Billboard hits including “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” and his rendition of mega-hit song “Honeycomb.” Rodgers first developed an interest in music as a young child after he learned from his mom, a piano teacher. He sang in church and taught himself to play the guitar.

During his time in the U.S. Air Force amid the Korean War, Rodgers was transferred to Nashville upon his return to the states, where he was stationed at Seward Air Force Base from 1954 to 1956. In Nashville, he began singing at local venues for $10 per night and competed on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS talent show and won $700, a hefty sum at the time. He was signed with Roulette Records soon after and recorded his own version of “Honeycomb” in 1957. Written by Bob Merrill and originally recorded by Georgie Shaw, the track became Rodgers’ biggest hit — having charted for four weeks. It sold more than one million copies and went gold with the RIAA.

The singer continued releasing fan-favorite tracks including “Oh-Oh, I’m Falling in Love Again,” “Secretly” and “Are You Really Mine?” in the years to come.

Jimmie Rodgers’ unique music style landed him spots on Billboard’s pop singles, hot country and western sides and hot rhythm and blues sides charts. He received his first songwriting credits as Jimmie F. Rodgers (to differentiate himself from another singer with the same first and last name). The star appeared in films including The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come and Back Door to Hell. His music earned him several TV performances on variety shows including Shower of Stars with Jack Benny, The Big Record with Patti Page, the Ed Sullivan show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

In 1958, he was the star of The Jimmie Rodgers Show on NBC. But things took a turn in 1967, when he was found inside of his car on a Los Angeles highway with severe injuries to his head and more.

To date, it is still unclear what happened to the star. A source close to Jimmie Rodgers disclosed the musician was beaten by a man who turned out to be an off-duty police officer. “Two other policemen soon arrived, picked him up and left him in his car unconscious, but fortunately his conductor had been following and found him,” adds the source.

In 1973, Rodgers agreed to accept a $200,000 settlement from the LAPD. The three policemen involved in the incident were suspended for two weeks for leaving him in his car, according the source. Many speculated that the attack was organized as retaliation after he left his former record label.

The injuries he sustained led him to develop Spasmodic Dysphonia, a condition which caused spasms in his voice box muscles. He also began suffering occasional seizures while performing. Rodgers underwent multiple operations, including brain surgery, to recover.

In 1969, Rodgers made his big TV return with his own summer variety on ABC. With much success, his music continued to reign on the Billboard Country and Easy Listening charts until ’79, with some of his popular songs were featured in commercials.

This five minute program was recorded for syndication to Canadian Radio Stations and not available in America. So, unless you were in Toronto at the time, the chances of you hearing it in the U.S. were slim to none.

Until now – enjoy.