WSM Collection 1953.05.26 Jimmie Rodgers Memorial

Summary

Harold's Old Time Radio

WSM Collection 1953.05.26 – Jimmie Rodgers Memorial

---

Episode Overview

This episode is a heartfelt special broadcast originally aired on May 26, 1953, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the passing of Jimmie Rodgers—"America’s Blue Yodeler" and a founding father of what became known as hillbilly and country music. Under the auspices of WSM and NBC, the city of Meridian, Mississippi, gathered musicians, dignitaries, and Rodgers’ family for an all-day tribute, culminating in a Grand Ole Opry jamboree. The episode blends narration, historic speeches, musical performances, and personal reminiscences, capturing both the reverence and enduring influence of Jimmie Rodgers on American music.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historical Context & The Ceremony

• Location and Occasion:
  • Meridian, Mississippi, was selected for Jimmie Rodgers Day, drawing thousands who came by train for the memorial and festivities ([00:30]–[01:32]).
  • "A colorful train with excursion type coaches pulled by an old style steam locomotive carried hundreds of guests…" ([01:32]).
• Memorial Dedication:
  • The retired locomotive became a permanent monument, symbolizing Rodgers’ connection to railroads and railroaders.

2. Jimmie Rodgers' Legacy and Influence

• Rodgers, a former brakeman, rose to fame through his distinctive blend of "blue yodels" and heartfelt story songs ([01:32]–[03:11]).
• Songs like "Waiting for a Train," "Brakeman’s Blues," and "Sleep, Baby Sleep" became standards in the late '20s and '30s.
• His music bridged the gap between rural and city listeners, railroad workers, cowboys, and more—a pivotal unifier in American cultural life.

3. Notable Addresses at the Ceremony

• Hank Snow (WSM Grand Ole Opry Star):

  • Emphasized Rodgers as the “daddy and originator of hillbilly and folk music” ([03:11]).
  • Spoke of Rodgers' adversity—tuberculosis, hard railroad life, and poor recording technology at the time ([03:11]–[06:27]).
  • Recognized Hank Williams as the artist who later “bridged the gap” between hillbilly and popular music, a lineage tracing back to Rodgers.
  • Quote ([03:49]):
    • “Jimmy Rogers worked back, friends and neighbors, in 1926...They didn’t have the modern equipment...He was also under the handicap of being very ill and stricken with tuberculosis. He had a hard fight.”

• Governor Jimmie Davis (Louisiana):

  • Recounted personal friendship and recordings with Rodgers.
  • Highlighted Carrie Rodgers (Jimmie’s widow) as the artist’s greatest inspiration ([06:35]–[09:01]).
  • Quote ([07:13]):
    • “He was a great inspiration to me as he was to many other folk artists... he left a world of happiness in the form of song to be heard around the world till the end of time.”

• Carrie Rodgers (Jimmie’s Widow):

  • Expressed deep gratitude to all organizers, notably Ralph Peer, Ernest Tubb, and Hank Snow ([09:15]).
  • Quote ([09:15]):
    • “I am profoundly grateful to all who have had anything to do with making this day possible…”

• Governor Frank Clement (Tennessee):

  • Proclaimed pride in Tennessee’s role in Rodgers’ first recordings; referenced the cross-pollination and non-partisan nature of country/folk music ([12:00]–[16:58]).
  • Announced intentions to establish a day commemorating hillbilly/country music in Tennessee.
  • Quote ([13:45]):
    • “...Many people take much out of life and take much with them. But there are very few who leave us and leave behind more than they receive. On this occasion, we are going to unveil in a few moments, a monument to a man. A man who is a legend in America today.”
  • Quote ([15:48]):
    • “There’s nothing under God’s sun draws the line on this music that we love except a person’s own heart and their willingness to take unto themselves that which these songsters offer…”

4. Grand Ole Opry Jamboree & Musical Highlights

• Hank Snow and Jimmy Rodgers Snow:

  • Performed an original tribute song, “When Jimmy Rogers Said Goodbye,” capturing Rodgers’ musical heritage and the lasting emotional impact ([17:33]–[20:18]).
  • Lyric:
    • “He’s singing to the angels / way up in heaven today / He left a blue song for the brakeman...” ([17:40])

• Minnie Pearl (Comedienne and Grand Ole Opry Favorite):

  • Delivered her signature country comedy—light-hearted anecdotes about lawmen and rural life ([21:31]).
  • Quote ([21:31]):
    • “He said, ‘I wonder if she really is a country girl.’ He said, ‘I bet she don’t know a goose from a gander.’ I said, well, at Grinder Switch, we don’t worry about that. We just put them all out there together and let them figure it out for themselves.”
  • Performed the song “Jealous Hearted Me” ([23:37]).

• Little Jimmy Dickens:

  • Sang “Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed,” a humorous yet poignant reflection on rural kinfolk and childhood ([24:29]–[26:46]).

• Carl Smith:

  • Introduced as “so tall, if he fell down, he’d be halfway home before he could get up.”
  • Performed a lively love song, “Wait Till I Get You Alone” ([27:12]–[29:37]).

• Hank Snow: Anniversary Blue Yodel

  • Fittingly closed the program with Rodgers’ “Anniversary Blue Yodel” ([29:55]–[32:14]).
  • Featured iconic lines:
    • “I was a stranger passing through your town / When I ask you a favor, good gal, you turn me down...”
    • “I’m not singing the blues. I’m just telling you the hard luck I’ve had / Cause the blues ain’t nothing but a good man feeling bad…”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hank Snow:

  • ([03:44]) “We’re all gathered here from different parts of the nation. Every hillbilly and his brother, I believe, are here, boy and gal, to help in paying tribute to the daddy of us all... the one and only Jimmie Rodgers.”

• Gov. Jimmie Davis:

  • ([07:24]) “I know that with his passing, he took with him the greatest voice of its kind that perhaps this country has ever known. At the same time, he left a world of happiness in the form of song...”

• Carrie Rodgers:

  • ([09:15]) “My daughter Anita and I will always remember the thoughtfulness and assistance given us by Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow... this tribute to my Jimmy.”

• Gov. Frank Clement:

  • ([14:55]) “...There’s nothing under God’s Sun draws the line on this music that we love except a person’s own heart and their willingness to take unto themselves that which these songsters offer unto us...”

• Minnie Pearl:

  • ([21:31]) “Well, at Grinder Switch, we don’t worry about that. We just put them all out there together and let them figure it out for themselves.”
  • ([22:11]) “He wasn’t very handsome and he didn’t have much money and he married another girl...I broke our engagement.”

• Hank Snow, “Blue Yodel”:

  • ([29:55], closing song): “I’m not singing the blues. I’m just telling you the hard luck I’ve had / Cause the blues ain’t nothing but a good man feeling bad...”

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:30]–[01:32]: Introduction to Jimmie Rodgers Day and its setting in Meridian, MS
• [03:11]–[06:27]: Hank Snow’s address on Rodgers’ struggles and legacy
• [06:35]–[09:01]: Gov. Jimmie Davis’s speech on knowing Rodgers personally; tribute to Carrie Rodgers
• [09:15]–[09:56]: Carrie Rodgers’ appreciation address
• [12:00]–[16:58]: Gov. Frank Clement’s reflection on music’s unifying power and Tennessee’s pledge for commemoration
• [17:33]–[20:18]: Hank Snow and son’s tribute song “When Jimmy Rogers Said Goodbye”
• [21:31]–[23:36]: Minnie Pearl’s comedic storytelling and “Jealous Hearted Me”
• [24:29]–[26:46]: Little Jimmy Dickens – “Sleeping at the Foot of the Bed”
• [27:12]–[29:37]: Carl Smith’s performance
• [29:55]–[32:14]: Hank Snow’s “Anniversary Blue Yodel” (Grand finale)

---

Conclusion

This episode is a vibrant, emotional tribute not only to Jimmie Rodgers but to the power of American folk and country music to unite people across time and place. Highlighted by heartfelt speeches, rich musical performances, and humorous interludes, the special captures how Rodgers’ voice and story have shaped generations of artists and fans. As Governor Clement vowed, the memory of Jimmie Rodgers and the music he inspired continues to “offer unto us for our own comfort and appreciation” in perpetuity.

Transcript

[Marshallnau]

Record sales have not exactly been stellar. Look, I need this tour. It's the only place I feel like I can breathe again. Based on the incredible true story.

[Tim]

I'm Tim.

[Marshallnau]

I'm Marshallnau. It's my first tour now. I just want to write something that helps people. You will never understand what I'm going through. Imagine what God can do again.

[Hank Snow]

Whatever you're going through, you're never alone.

[Marshallnau]

God is beaming fire and it is beautiful. I can only imagine. Two now playing only in theaters. Rated PG.

[Narrator]

Last Tuesday, May 26, was Jimmie Rogers Day in Meridian, Mississippi. WSM and NBC joined with the thousands who gathered there to pay tribute. The events of the day were transcribed for history, and this program brings you the highlights.

[Hank Snow (singing)]

All around.

[Announcer]

The water tanks. Waiting for a train a thousand miles away from home Sleeping in the rain.

[Narrator]

This is the story of how they honored a man and his guitar. How the fleeting wand of fame touched an almost obscure singer who'd grown up in the railroad yards of Meridian, Mississippi, and who in a few short years became one of America's top recording artists. Jimmy Rogers, America's blue yodeler, idol of millions of rural and city folk railroad men, cowboys, gamblers, hobos, sweethearts. He had a song for each of them and with a yodel that was sometimes sad, sometimes happy, and sometimes as plaintive as the whistle of the midnight train. Maybe the name of Jimmy Rogers isn't a familiar one to you, but you certainly know of his blue yodels, his songs of railroading, such as Waiting for a Train, the Brakeman's Blues, and the lullaby Sleep, Baby Sleep, so popular in the 20s and 30s in Meridian, Mississippi. This week, railroad men, folk song artists, fans and Jimmy's former neighbors came to honor a man who passed away 20 years ago after enjoying only five short years of fame. Jimmie Rogers Day in Meridian was attended by thousands who came at the invitation of two of WSM's Grand Ole Opry folk stars, Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow, both of whom were inspired by Jimmy Rogers songs and who arranged much of the celebration with Meridian civic leaders. A colorful train with excursion type coaches pulled by an old style steam locomotive carried hundreds of guests to a roadside park at Meridian's outskirts. There, the old locomotive, its last run completed, was welded to the rails to serve as a background to the Jimmie Rogers Memorial, honoring not only the singing brakeman, but all departed railroad men as well. The first speaker at the dedication ceremonies is the singing ranger, Hank Snow.

[Hank Snow]

Thank you very much, friends and neighbors. Thank you. I'd like to say to Start with that. I ain't much of a speaker, but I'll do the very best I can to put it before you. I would like to say it is a great honor to be here today on behalf of WSM's Grand Ole Opry and the entire hillbilly and polk industry to have a few words here on this wonderful happening here. Something that we have looked forward to for the past, I might say, 10 years. We're all gathered here from different parts of the nation. Every hillbilly and his brother, I believe, are here, boy and gal, to help in paying tribute to the daddy of us all and the daddy and originator of hillbilly and folk music, the late and great, the one and only Jimmie Rogers, once America's blue yodeler. Friends, I'd like to just tell you as brief as I can how much Jimmy Rogers has meant to the hillbilly field and to all us boys and gals in the business. Jimmy Rogers worked back, friends and neighbors, in 1926, when Jimmy recorded for the RCA Victor Company, it wasn't like it is today. They didn't have the modern equipment they have today to do the very best recordings that they do today to make the best quality, the best volume and to bring out the voice as it is today. Therefore, Jimmie Rogers wasn't only under that handicap, but he was also under the handicap of being very ill and stricken with tuberculosis. He had a hard fight. Besides that, Jimmy Rogers was a brakeman on the Southern railways for many years, fighting against weather of all kinds. As all you railway men understand, it is a rough life and, of course, is very, very hard on the hill. Well, anyway, Jimmy carried on with his singing as kind of a sideline until finally Mr. Ralph Pier of the RCA Victor Company located him and brought him forward to the public. And you can see what has happened. He has led the way and paved the way to make it worthwhile for us. Our great friend Hank Williams, who our great musician above called away from us, proved that Jimmy Rogers did set the pace. Friends, the two different types of music, the modern class of music and the hillbilly type of music, was separated for a long time. But our good friend Jimmy Rogers brought it along and handed it over to our great friend Hank Williams, who was the one that bridged it. He bridged that gap between the hillbilly and the popular music. Now it is really all one another time. Thanks to our wonderful friends Hank Williams for doing that part of it. Well, friends, I don't want to run over here in time too much I would like to say once again, on behalf of everybody that has taken part here in the in making this day so successful, this is a dream that Ernest Tubb and I had planned up for years and has finally came true. Tell you we see you again on behalf of everybody in the hillbillian music industry. This is Hank Snow saying thanks a million until we see you all out at the stadium tonight. Good luck, good health, and may the good Lord be proud of you. Thank you. Now, friends and neighbors, it gives me great pleasure here to bring up a gentleman that actually knew Jimmie Rogers. I didn't, but this gentleman did, and as a matter of fact, had worked with Jimmy Rogers on several occasions. He too has added a great deal to make the hillbilly and the folk industry what it has arrived to today. Let's give him a wonderful welcome. The former governor of Louisiana, Governor Jimmy

[Minnie Pearl]

Davis,

[Jimmy Davis]

Hank Snow, Mrs. Rogers, members of the clergy, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I was very happy when Ms. Rogers asked me to be here on this occasion, for I had known the Rogers family for some time. I was with Jimmy at some of his last recordings. He was a great inspiration to me as he was to many other folk artist. And I've often marveled at how much personality he put in one song, how he had a touch there that nobody seemed to duplicate. And I know that with his passing, he took with him the greatest voice of its kind that perhaps this country has ever known. At the same time, he left a world of happiness in the form of song to be heard around the world till the end of time. But most of all, he left to his very devoted wife and family a heritage that money couldn't buy. You know, it has been said that for every great man, there lurks somewhere in the shadows a woman. And I'm sure that no man could have a better inspiration than than that of his own wife. And knowing the Rogers family as I did, I know the greatest inspiration that he ever had was that of his own wife, Carrie Rogers, known as the first lady of hillbilly music.

[Commercial Announcer]

This President's Day, upgrade the look of your home without breaking your budget. Save up to 50% site wide on new window [e-mail] blinds.com makes it easy with free virtual consultations on your schedule and samples delivered to your door fast and free. With over 25 million windows covered and a 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can count on blinds.com to deliver results you'll love.

[Marshallnau]

Shop up to 50% off site wide plus a free professional measure during the President's Day mega sale last chance happening

[Announcer]

right [e-mail] terms apply.

[Marshallnau]

When you're a pro, you got to do a little bit of everything.

[Minnie Pearl]

A little,

[Marshallnau]

a little, and even a little. And it helps to have something that works as hard as you do. That's why Valspar has durable, high coverage paint for every job, every time made. For more Valspar pros, head to Lowe's today and talk to a pro rep about saving time and money on your next job with Valspar. Signature paint exclusions apply. See valsparpro.com for details.

[Jimmy Davis]

And I would like for Ms. Jimmy Rogers to stand up and take a bow and say, what if she likes.

[Tim]

Jimmy Davis? Distinguished guests, Jimmie Rogers fans and friends. I am not a speech maker and so I won't attempt to make a speech at this time, but I am profoundly grateful to all who have had anything to do with making this day possible. I am especially grateful to Mr. Ralph Pier of Southern Music for giving Jimmy his first opportunity to record. We are pleased that Mr. Pierre is here today with his contribution to this occasion. My daughter Anita and I will always remember the thoughtfulness and assistance given us by Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow of Radio record and Grand Ole Opry theme. It was Ernest and Hank who first sponsored this memorial movement. It's impossible for Ernest to be with us. He is with us in thought. We are especially happy that his son and Hank Snow are here participating in this event, this tribute to my Jimmy. Thank you.

[Jimmy Davis]

Thank you, Ms. Rogers, very much. You know, I'm one of the few people here that can understand how busy a governor can get and still not do all the things he'd like to do because he doesn't have the time. But we have with us today from one of our neighbor states, a man who's been a great friend of hillbilly music and he's taking time out and I know he has time to do

[Hank Snow]

a lot of other things.

[Jimmy Davis]

I mean, he would perhaps could do a lot of other things and things he'll never get to do. But I know you like. I appreciate his coming here and I met him for my first time some time ago. He's a man that has an enviable record at a very early age in life because he's still a very young man. And of course he's going to say

[Narrator]

a word to you.

[Jimmy Davis]

And I have reference to his Excellency, the governor of the state of Tennessee, the honorable Frank Clemens,

[Announcer]

My friend Governor Jimmy Davis, Mrs. Rogers, and all of you, my friends and fellow lovers of the music of the People, as I prefer to call the type of music which Jimmie Rogers originated and which has been carried on forward to this day with increasing success by those for whom we have so much admiration. It's not a burden to me, but a great honor to the people of the Volunteer State of Tennessee that I should have been invited to come down here to the great city of Meridian in the Magnolia state of Mississippi to participate on this wonderful occasion in this tribute to the father of this music that we love so well. As I stand before you, I am reminded of the fact that. That we are paying tribute not only to a man of the past, but to a memory that has continued to be perpetuated until the present and on into the future. You know, many people take much out of life and take much with them. But there are very few who leave us and leave behind more than they receive. On this occasion, we are going to unveil in a few moments, a monument to a man. A man who is a legend in America today. And it is with peculiar pride that I come here. Because as the gentleman who gave him his opportunity can tell you, the first two records Jimmie Rogers ever recorded were in the city of Bristol, Tennessee. We're proud of that. We're proud that Tennessee had the opportunity of being the sidus of Jimmy Rogers stark in the recording field. We are proud of the fact, of course, that we've come to be known as the music capital of America. And why would I be here today, being a young man to the extent that I was not a part of the day of Jimmie Rogers, except that, as I remember, in days gone by when I lived up in Kentucky, I'd hear that old song, T stands for Texas and T stands for Tennessee. I'd hear people sing and talk about the Blue Yodel. And I came to love that kind of music. And I came to want to be a part of it. And when two men who I have great admiration and appreciation for, my friends Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow, came to the governor's office and said, frank, we want you to go to Meridian, Mississippi, for a day honoring Jimmie Rogers, who gave us all our opportunity. And I told them that if Jimmy Rogers gave them their opportunity, Jimmy Rogers was a man to be remembered. And from then on out, I began to reminisce and go back to the days when I heard his songs and remember what they had meant to me. Though I had not given the man the credit because his name had not been impressed upon me. And I got out the book that his good wife had authored and I read the story of his life and I studied more and more about Jimmie Rogers. And then Hank and Ernest brought me a Jimmy Rogers album to add to my collection of tunes that I love to play on my own Victrola, in my own house when I have the opportunity. And with all that background, I came to realize perhaps we haven't given the credit to those in this field that we should have. Geography draws boundary lines. Men set up zones, political parties have their partisanship. But there's nothing under God's Son draws the line on this music that we love except a person's own heart and their willingness to take unto themselves that which these songsters offer unto us for our own comfort and appreciation. And with that thought in mind, we want to share with you here today the realization of that from the great state of Tennessee, we have come with our hearts open to you today and brought here to you the greatest collection of musical talent that the world has perhaps ever seen. We're happy to be with you and to share with you the knowledge that come perhaps this fall and certainly next year, we're going to officially proclaim, let them call it a Hillbilly Day, a country music day, or a Music of the People day. A but in Tennessee, we'll have a day midst those Great Smoky Mountains. And we want you to come back up there and repay the visit we've made to you. And let's perpetuate, not for a day or for a year, but for all time, the name and memory of Jimmy Rogers and these great people who have followed him in this land of succession whereby they give unto the world the opportunity to have a better and a happier life because of the songs they make available to us. As my friend Hank Snow said, may the good Lord be real good to you. God bless you until we meet again.

[Hank Snow]

Thank you.

[Narrator]

That was an address by the honorable Frank Clement, Governor of Tennessee. Those were the ceremonies of the Jimmy Rogers memorial. Then that night, the crowd assembled in Meridian's Junior college stadium to hear a three hour program by leading folk song artists honoring Jimmy Rogers Day as we join the mammoth jamboree. Hank Snow of WSM's Grand Ole Opry and his son, Jimmy Rogers Snow, have just been introduced.

[Hank Snow (singing)]

There's an old guitar that's lonely

[Hank Snow]

since

[Hank Snow (singing)]

the the master's gone away but he's singing to the angels Way up in heaven today he left a blue song for the brakeman to the kiddies of all my to all sweethearts he left a long song When Jimmy Roger said goodbye he left a yokel for the town cowboy they sing it now with te. And he left every pray lonely When Jimmy Rogers said goodbye.

[Minnie Pearl]

Sa.

[Hank Snow (singing)]

Across the world you can hear them say Mississippi lost their blue yodel When Jimmie Rodgers said goodbye Although the freight trains keep on running he caught a fast one on the fly but he left his guitar behind him When Jimmy Rogers said goodbye.

[Narrator]

That was Hank Snow and his son Jimmy Rogers Snow with their tribute in song to the memory of the late Jimmy Rogers. And now the show goes on. The next voice you will hear is that of the master of ceremonies, the Grand Ole Opry's smiling Eddie Hill.

[Announcer]

Right now. Neighbors, it gives us a great pleasure and a great opportunity to introduce one

[Narrator]

of our favorite people at the Grand

[Announcer]

Ole Opry that I know you've heard many, many times. You're going to enjoy them more than ever tonight. So what do you say? Let's give a great big welcome to Miss Minnie Pearl.

[Commercial Announcer]

If the birth control pill isn't feeling like the right fit anymore, you've got options. Natural Cycles is the only FDA cleared birth control app that's 100% hormone free. It works by tracking your daily temperature to pinpoint your fertile days so you'll know which days you can and can't get pregnant. No hormones, no side effects, just science that works with your body. Millions have already made the switch and you can too save 15% when you sign up today with code radio15@natural cycles.com.

[Minnie Pearl]

i'm just proud to be here. Well, I like to not say this. I'm telling you, them fellers back there wouldn't let me get through, you know. Oh, thank you. No, it's all bark and no biting. I tell you, back there, there was two fellers standing back there and I was trying to get food back there and there was a police feller standing there. And I says to them, that police feller, I said, I wish you'd do something about them fellas right there. They are bothering me. He says, well, I've been standing here for 15 minutes and they ain't even looked at you. I said, yeah, that's what's bothering me. What got me was, oh, there was a feller standing there when I passed by and he said, ain't that that many Pearl that's been up there at the Grand Ole Uproar all these years? Oven said, yes, that's her. Said, I wonder if she really is a country girl. He said, I bet she don't know a goose from a gander. I said, well, at Grinder Switch, we don't worry about that. We just put them all out there together and let them figure it out for the sale. Well, I'm proud to be here, but I got to go. Cause we got more talent back here than you ever seen. But this is my place right here. I love Meridian. I almost married a fellow from down here, but he wasn't very handsome and he didn't have much money and he married another girl. So I broke our engagement. I'm going to let this other guy take over. But I want to tell you I'm proud to be here. And I might come back later on. I'm glad to see you.

[Announcer]

Come here. You got to sing.

[Minnie Pearl]

Okay, let's dance one for you. Let's sing out there and call. Jealous hearted me. I'm ready to dance. I didn't know you fellas will share. What gear I don't know but one gear d let her flicker fly. You can have my coffee and have my tea but yet you let my feller be. I'm jealous, jealous hurting me. I'm just a jealous eyes I could be. Yeah, I got a man and a bullock too. My man don't fight for my bullock too. I'm jealous.

[Narrator]

Now the grand ole Opry is cold, tater boy. Little Jimmy Dickens.

[Announcer]

I got a song here I'd like to try to sing for you folks that I hope you will enjoy. A little song called the sleeping at the Foot of the Bed. Boy, Did you ever sleep at foot on the bed? When the weather was a whistle cold. When the wind was a whistling around the house and the moon was yellow as gold. And you give your good warm mattress up to aunt Lizzie and uncle Fred. Too many kin folks on a bad night. So you went to the foot of the bed. I could always wait till the old folks said I'd eat the lehmans with grace. The teacher could keep me after school I'd still have a smile on my face. I could wear the big boys where I'd go let sister have my sled.

[Minnie Pearl]

But it always did get my nanny gold.

[Announcer]

I had to sleep at the foot of the bed. Was fine enough when the kin folks come and the kids brought brand new games. You could see how fat all the old folks was and learn all the babies names. We had biscuits and custard and chicken. We all got Sunday bed but I

[Minnie Pearl]

know darn well when nighttime come I

[Announcer]

was heading for the foot of the bed. Let's play this guitar now. They say some folks don't know what it is having company all over the

[Minnie Pearl]

place harassing for cover on a winter

[Announcer]

night with a big bully setting in your face or cold toenails. A scratching your back at the foot for scraping your head.

[Minnie Pearl]

I tell the world you ain't lost a tank.

[Announcer]

Never sleeping at the foot of the bed. I've done it over and over again.

[Minnie Pearl]

I just.

[Announcer]

Land of the brave and free. And in this all part battle of life, it's left its mark on me. But I'm always struggling around at the hood instead of forging ahead.

[Minnie Pearl]

And I don't think it's cost to

[Announcer]

a dog on things. I'm sleeping at the foot of the bay.

[Minnie Pearl]

Thank you very much.

[Announcer]

And now, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to have to raise our microphone just a little bit, I'm sure. Because I'm fixing to introduce to you an old boy that he's so tall, if he'd fall down, he'd be halfway home before he could get up. A wonderful fellow by the name of Carl Smith, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you.

[Hank Snow (singing)]

Thank you very much. It's wonderful to be with all you folks.

[Hank Snow]

We've got a song we'd like to

[Hank Snow (singing)]

try to sing for us.

[Hank Snow]

We hope you like it. If you do, while you smack your

[Announcer]

hands, we'll sing a little bit more.

[Hank Snow (singing)]

You tell me I'm too shy. A bashful sort of guy. But wait till I get you along. I'm older than you know. My arms will tell you so. Just wait till I get. I used to blush and hang my head and stutter and slammer Even when I tried to call you on the phone. But love has made me brave. And love is what I crave. Just wait till I give it here alone. Your eyes dare me to try. Your kiss is on the slide. But wait till I get you along. I teach you not to flirt. I squeeze you till it hurts. Just wait till I get you along. I may seem bashful enough for out. But don't let it boo you. You'll know better when I make your lips my own. If love is what you need, I'm ready. Yes, indeed. Just till I get you alone.

[Narrator]

Now it is fitting that we close this program dedicated to the memory of Jimmy Rogers with one of Jimmy's greatest song hits, sung for you by Hank Snow. It's the anniversary Blue yodel.

[Hank Snow (singing)]

I was a stranger passing through your town. I was a stranger passing through your town. When I ask you a favor, good gal, you turn me down. You may see me on a walking. Parking down that railroad track. You may see me other walking parking down that railroad track. But good g you done me wrong I ain't never coming back. I've wrote that old Southern I wrote that L and N I borrowed that old Southern I brought that L and N and if the police don't get me I'm gonna ride them again Now Some like Chicago, some love Memphis, Tennessee Some like Chicago, some love Memphis, Tennessee hey, pretty mama Give me sweet Dallas, Texas where the wear My thankful world.

[Announcer]

I'm here.

[Hank Snow]

Tell them about Dallas, Ma.

[Hank Snow (singing)]

I'm not singing the blues. I'm just telling you the hard luck I've had I'm not singing blues. I'm just telling you the hard luck I've had. Cause the blues ain't nothing but a good man feeling bad. I'm a weary now and I want to leave this town I'm a weary now and I want to leave this town. Cause can't find no job I'm tired of hanging around.