Jimmie Rodgers was born on September 8, 1897 in Merdian, Mississippi. He was the youngest of the three sons of Aaron Rodgers, a Maintenance of Way Foreman on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. Jimmie's mother passed away when he was a very young boy, at which time, he was sent to live with various relatives in southeast Mississippi and southeast Alabama. In time, Jimmie's father, Aaron remarried and settled with his new wife in Meridian. Jimmie then returned home to live with them.

At some point in Jimmie's young life, he began to show a love for traveling and entertaining. It is said that by the time he was thirteen years of age, he had already organized two traveling shows, each ending when his father found him and brought him home! To organize his first road show, he stole some bed sheets from his sister-in-law and sewed them together to make a tent. Upon his return to Meridian, he was expected to work and pay off the price of the bed sheets. To everyone’s surprise, he paid for the bed sheets using money he had earned from his road show!!

On his second effort, he inadvertently charged an expensive sidewall canvas tent to his dad’s charge account at a local store! Aaron went out and found his traveling show again! There’s no indication that Jimmie paid his father back for the tent, but no indication the he didn’t either.

It had become obvious to Aaron that Jimmie needed a real job, so when a waterboy job came open in Aaron’s railroad gang, Jimmie was hired. He did well at this job and stayed with it. After a few years, his brother was instrumental in getting him the job of brakeman on the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad. His brother was a conductor with the railroad.

In 1924, Jimmie was diagnosed with tuberculosis; he was 27 years of age. His job at the railroad was temporarily ended. He started thinking again of entertainment. Once again, he put together a traveling show performing across the southeast. This road show was ended when bad weather tore apart his tent.

He applied for a job as a brakeman with a railroad running the east coast. He was assigned to Miami. But, in a short time, the illness took its toll on him costing him that job. Out of desparation, he relocated to Tucson, Arizona where he’d landed a brakeman’s job with the Southern Pacific Railroad. But, in spite of the drier climate, tuberculosis cost him that job also.

In 1927, Jimmie, his wife, Carrie and daughter Anita were living again in Merdian. At some point, Jimmie left Meridian and traveled to Asheville, North Carolina. The exact reason for the relocation is still in question today. Some say he went there to pursue a job with a railroad in North Carolina. Others say he traveled there to take advantage of the mountain air, while others believe he wanted to become a part of the music scene in Asheville, which was in its infancy.