In celebration of The Father of Country Music’s birthday today, locals and visitors are invited to tour the Jimmie Rodgers Museum and Sparkle & Twang: Marty Stuart’s American Musical Odyssey free of charge from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Born on Sept. 8, 1897 in Meridian, Jimmie Rodgers became the first country music superstar and music pioneer before his untimely death in May 1933.

    In addition to “The Father of Country Music,” Rodgers was known as “The Singing Brakeman” and “The Blue Yodeler.”  When the Country Music Hall of Fame was established in 1961, Rodgers was among the first along with Fred Rose and Hank Williams to be inducted. Rodgers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Rodgers’ “Blue Yodel No. 9” was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Not limited to country or rock genres, Rodgers was one of the biggest stars of American music between 1927 and 1933, arguably doing more to popularize blues than any other performer of his time. He influenced many later blues artists, among them Muddy Waters and Chester Arthur Burnett, better known as Howlin’ Wolf.  Rodgers’ influence can also be heard in artists like Mississippi John Hurt, whose “Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me” is based on Rodgers’ hit “Waiting On A Train.”  In “Cleaning Windows,” Van Morrison sings about listening to Jimmie Rodgers and artists as revered as Morrison along with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Jerry Garcia, Bono, Allison Kraus, Aaron Neville and John Mellencamp, just to name a few, have recorded his songs.

    Earlier this year, country music legend Merle Haggard and Mississippi’s own Marty Stuart performed in honor of Jimmie Rodgers at a sold-out performance in the MSU Riley Center’s historic Grand Opera House theater. On Saturday, Sept. 18, The Jimmie Rodgers Foundation will present Ernie Haase and Signature Sound at The Temple Theater. Tickets are $12 to $25 and on sale now at www.itickets.com or by calling 601-416-1630.

    In honor of Rodgers’ birthday, the public is invited to learn more about his profound influence on American music by visiting the Jimmie Rodgers Museum located at 1725 Jimmie Rogers Drive in Highland Park and the Sparkle & Twang exhibit of American music memorabilia on display now through Saturday, Sept. 18, at the MSU Riley Center on the corner of Fifth Street and 22nd Avenue in downtown Meridian.

    The traveling exhibit includes spectacular one-of-a-kind items collected by country music star and producer, Marty Stuart. Handwritten lyrics by Johnny Cash, personal letters by Patsy Cline and Hank Williams and custom-made performance costumes and cowboy boots worn by icons Porter Wagoner, Roy Orbison and Dolly Parton are just some of the amazing treasures found throughout the exhibit along with documentary video footage and interviews with Marty Stuart. The briefcase carried by Jimmie Rodgers and later owned by Johnny Cash is among the Jimmie Rodgers’ items included in the Sparkle & Twang exhibit.

    Locals dining in the downtown area today may be treated to a Jimmie Rodgers sighting and performance, as Britt Gulley visits downtown eateries in his remarkable Jimmie Rodgers persona, speaking to the crowds and performing a song or two in tribute to the American music hero.

    For more information about Jimmie Rodgers, visit www.jimmierodgers.com.