Jimmie Rodgers, Country Superstar

By Paul Brown

Published August 7, 2003 at 10:00 PM MDT

In the latest segment in the "Honky Tonks, Hymns and the Blues" series, NPR's Paul Brown explores the influence of Jimmie Rodgers. The "father of country music" traveled like a meteor from obscurity, to fame, to early death. Combining blues, vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley with old-time mountain music, he brought the so-called "hillbilly" sound into the mainstream.

Paul Brown

As a newscaster and reporter for NPR, Paul Brown handles an ever-changing combination of on-air, reporting, editing and producing tasks with skills he developed over 30 years working in radio and print journalism.

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