Talk:Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)

Singles chrono
The actual single "Ben Dewberry's Final Run" shows "In the Jailhouse Now" as the B-side. "Mother Was a Lady" is shown as the B-side of "Treasures Untold". Normally, only the A-sides are listed in the chrono, unless they are double A-sides (Victor indicated "The Soldier's Sweetheart" as 20864-B and "In the Jailhouse Now" as 21245-B). Also, double As use a different format (see Template:Infobox song). On the other hand, chronos probably aren't meaningful for 90-year old records (see "Cross Road Blues", "Baby, Please Don't Go", etc.). —Ojorojo (talk) 18:25, 10 January 2021 (UTC)


 * Well, I put both tunes of the record in the chronology because back in those days, which song was on each side was pretty much irrelevant to the record companies. They did not care to promote an A side. I see those records do not have a chronology, but why deleting it from the article?-- GDuwen  Holler!  18:27, 13 January 2021 (UTC)
 * So "Ben Dewberry's Final Run" had two different flip sides ("In the Jailhouse Now" and "Mother Was a Lady")? To list them both with an explanation would add unnecessary detail to an already long infobox. In those days "single" did not have the significance it later acquired, so tracking them was, as you say, irrelevant. —Ojorojo (talk) 19:17, 13 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I see the point about it making it a long infobox. I was thinking to use it as a navigation box, after creating articles for those songs. There is anyway now a comprehensive list with his discography. And about "Ben Dewberry's Final Run", I would have list its earliest release (April 1928), paired with "Jailhouse". I know some songs were pressed again for other releases, but that is its earliest appearance on the Victor catalog.-- GDuwen  Holler!  22:21, 13 January 2021 (UTC)
 * If nagivation is the goal, it can be better handled with a navbox at the bottom of the article. It would have the added benefit of listing all his linked songs, albums, etc., not just the previous and next. See Template:Blind Willie Johnson, Template:Robert Johnson, etc. —Ojorojo (talk) 16:28, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
 * I've done a number of those for other articles, but the ones related to Jimmie Rodgers are just not that far. Maybe in some future with some more articles available.-- GDuwen <b style="background:#318CE7; padding:2px; color:cyan"> Holler! </b> 19:14, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

Produced by Ralph Peer
I am having trouble verifying that Ralph Peer produced or supervised the November 30, 1927 recording session. I already changed the non-sourced claim of Victor Studios in New York City. My sources can all be found in the infobox on each item. I am familiar with DAHR's meticulous procedures for identifying Victor's recording and release dates, and session information. I know they also check copyrights, but I prefer to do this myself, to confirm the song title, composers, lyricists, publishers and dates. DAHR, more often than not, finds session supervisors, or individuals referred to as the equivalent of our modern day producers. They found nothing for this session. I had to remove Peer as producer (but added him as song publisher). Anybody with reliable info to add, please do, but do your best to confirm it. I already consider the vote 0-1 on producer claim. I have found DAHR to be incorrect on occasion. There are a number of non-referenced claims in this article, maybe regulations have slowly increased over the years. Tillywilly17 (talk) 04:48, 24 November 2021 (UTC)

BEFORE
 * studio    = Victor 1 (New York City)

AFTER								| recorded  =  November 30, 1927
 * studio    = Trinity Church Studio, Camden, New Jersey

'''Peer set up an appointment for November 30, 1927. The session took place at the Victor Talking Machine Company's Studio 1 in a repurposed building that had been the former Camden Trinity Baptist Church, favored for its acoustics.'''

''' Cool - we agree on studios. New York was an error, he meant Camden, so that is now fixed Infobox and article in sync'''

'''Only error was "New York" I changed that to Camden and added copyright date. Did not touch main article! '''


 * Thanks for the corrections/additions. About Peer, he was in the room at the time the song was recorded. He booked the session, and the fact that he was there and that he was Rodgers' producer probably was enough for some sources to consider him the direct producer of "Blue Yodel". Does that make him the actual producer? not necessarily. Did Rodgers or some recording engineer produce the record? I couldn't find anything about it.-- <b style="color:#E62020">GD</b><b style="color:#273BE2">uwen</b> <b style="background:#318CE7; padding:2px; color:cyan"> Holler! </b> 19:18, 24 November 2021 (UTC)


 * I cannot imagine hi\m doing all that he did and not being there, and if he was, his capacity would be that of a modern day producer I will restore the statement Tillywilly17 (talk) 23:44, 24 November 2021 (UTC)


 * DAHR shows there were two takes of the song recorded, and that one was held. The way things were those days, I could image it was something along the lines of "alright, Jimmie, do another one for me". I don't think there was much production involved other than recording and selecting the final take.-- <b style="color:#E62020">GD</b><b style="color:#273BE2">uwen</b> <b style="background:#318CE7; padding:2px; color:cyan"> Holler! </b> 19:37, 25 November 2021 (UTC)

re publication
At the time of copyright,. "Blue Yodel" had not been published

Blue Yodel ; words and melody by J.

Rodgers. © 1 c. Feb. 3, 1928; E

681749 ; Ralph Peer, New York. 2731

Blue yodel ; fox trot, words and music

by Jimmy Rodgers ; pf. ace, with

ukulele arr. by May Singhi Breen.

© Apr. 3, 1928; 2 c. Apr. 23; E

691013; United pub. co., New York. 7912

copyright date  Feb 3  1928

pub date none

To save  space  in  the  Catalogue,  the  Copyright  notice  after  each  title  is  ab- breviated. The abbreviations  used  in  this  part  are  as  follows:  "  E,"  Class  E, Musical  compositions;  "  D,"  Class  D,  Dramatico-musical  compositions;  "  ©," implies copyright  registration  of  a  published  composition,  followed  by  date  of publication;  "  ©  1  c,"  stands  for  copyright  of  an  unpublished  work,  followed by date  of  receipt  in  the  Copyright  Office  of  the  printed  or  manuscript  copy; and "  2  c,"  for  2  copies,  followed  by  the  date  of  their  receipt. In the  case  of contributions  to  periodicals  only  one  copy  of  the  issue  or  issues  containing such contributions  is  required. Tillywilly17 (talk) 05:07, 24 November 2021 (UTC)

sales
If you are not a hardcore Jimmie Rodgers fan, collector or editor, don't read this

At the second session on Nov. 30 recorded "Ben Dewberry's Final Run"; "Mother Was A Lady"; "Away Out on the Mountain"; and "T for Texas" in Victor’s Camden, NJ studios. Rodgers and Peer had issued "Mother Was A Lady" as a Jimmie Rodgers composition “If Brother Jack Were Here.” [When the single was released eight months later a lawsuit was threatened by the composers. Victor stopped selling the initial pressing and it was released under the titile "Mother Was A Lady." Many of Rodgers’ songs were arranged from traditional sources; an example is his “In the Jailhouse Now” and many of his blue yodels.] The single “T for Texas/Away Out on The Mountain” released in Feb. 1928 sold slowly at first.

After receiving his first royalty check for a meager $27 early in 1928, Rodgers was not happy with Peer or Victor and approached Columbia for an audition in Atlanta. Frank Walker, head of Columbia’s Old Familiar Tunes that had recorded the Skillet Lickers and would one day sign Hank Williams, listened to Jimmie sing. He turned to his assistant Bill Brown and said, “Who needs Jimmie Rodgers, we’ve got Riley Puckett.”

In April Rodgers received his second check for $400 from Victor reflection over 100,000 in sales. Then by the summer of 1928 “T for Texas” really took off giving Rodgers his first hit single. He was averaging $1,000 a month in royalties. The singles he recorded in 1928 would reportedly all sell over a million copies. Jimmie Rodgers was a star.

“The Soldier’s Sweetheart” (Victor 20864), recorded August 4, 1927, at Bristol, Tennessee

his first royalty check for a meager $27 early in 1928 (for

1928/04/15

$400

(for 100,000+ units

By the end of spring 1928, Jimmie Rodgers was beginning to be famous: his first big hit, Blue Yodel was heard all over the country on the radio and in the record shops. With the money he earned from this succes, he bought a new wardrobe and a blue Buick.

1928/07/01

$1,000

(for 250,000 units - 3 mos. Apr-June

It sold more than a million records and became a new rage Six months after the original was recorded, in 1928, there were already covers of the song

averaging $1,000 a month

The singles he recorded in 1928 would reportedly all sell over a million copies

Brakeman’s blues, in a blue yodel vein, was quite a succes with 262.000 pieces sold.

The Springfield News-Leader

Springfield, Missouri

12 Aug 1934, Sun •  Page 14

Tired, unshaven, racked, with tuberculosis, he twanged his guitar, sang and yodeled "Sleep, Baby, Sleep." Victor made a record of it. Within a year it sold more than 1,000,000 copies, topping Caruso sales for any single year of his career. Jimmie Rodgers second recording was called "Blue Yodel" So popular did it prove that he followed it with Blue Yodel No 2, then a "No. 3" until he sang 25 of them sold 6,000,000. In all, he made 60 records, sold 20,000,000.

already used here>>>

The News and Observer

Raleigh, North Carolina

08 Dec 1929, Sun •  Page 25

The first recording on August 4, 1927 which was to lead Jimmie Rodgers to fame was "Sleep Baby Sleep" and an original number "Soldier Sweetheart." His next recordings were original numbers, "Blue Yodel" and "Way Out on the Mountain." This record went to the top of the Victor sales list and remained there for 14 consecutive weeks. More than 12 million of his records have been sold. He has made about 50 recordings, 13 of which have not yet been released.

Denton Record-Chronicle

Denton, Texas

17 Dec 1929, Tue •  Page 8

by Wickes Wamboldt

Twelve millions of his records have been sold. His royalties on these and sheet music, bring him yearly, $75,000

Tillywilly17 (talk) 17:11, 25 April 2022 (UTC)