[78-L] Jimmie Rodgers Museum

[DAVID BURNHAM]

Yesterday I visited the Jimmie Rodgers Museum in Meridian, Mississippi.  This is an interesting little place with lots of memorabilia, including guitars, furniture from Rodgers' home, many portraits of the Rodgers family and other country stars and many old Rodgers 78s.  I was surprised that the 78s were in such dreadful shape - both the labels and the records were so deteriorated that they could obviously never be played.  They looked like they had been cleaned with sandpaper.  There were a couple of videos, (one with Cary Ginell credited as producer), and a lovely lady who was only too happy to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for Jimmie Rodgers.  She knew about Hank Snow and how he was inspired by J.R., (not surprisingly since Hank Snow was involved in the opening of the museum), but I was surprised that she had never even heard of Wilf Carter or Montana Slim.

db