Welcome back to Country Music 4 Ever! Today is the start of a new 25-part series here on Country Music 4 Ever. I love debut singles. It's so cool hearing a new song by a new artist who could one day be a country music legend. It's hard to believe, but there was a time when nobody knew who Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and countless other legends were. They all at one point were up-and-coming artists hoping for their big break in the country music business. When you hear a debut single, there is no telling who that person could become. So, in this new series I'm going to be discussing debut singles by some of country music's most-loved stars.

I will only be spotlighting solo artists in this series. There will be no bands or duos. I will also be going in chronological order beginning in 1936 and ending in 1991. I will apologize in advance if I did not include your favorite country legend. It was very hard to narrow it down, but I think the ones that will be spotlighted are fan favorites.

So, I will begin this series today with "The Passing of Jimmie Rodgers" by Ernest Tubb.

Jimmie Rodgers passed away in 1933, when he was just 35 years old. Jimmie was a huge inspiration to many country stars including Ernest Tubb. Ernest released his debut single "The Passing of Jimmie Rodgers" in 1936, three years after Jimmie passed away. Ernest was so inspired by Jimmie that he would try his best to sing and yodel exactly like Jimmie in his early recordings.

"The Passing of Jimmie Rodgers" did not chart on the radio. It wasn't until his 1944 single, "Try Me One More Time" that he started a string of radio hits. However, his tribute song to his hero was not a waste of time. Around the time he released the song, Ernest found Jimmie's widow, Carrie Rodgers, in the phone book and decided to give her a call to ask for an autographed photo of Jimmie. Carrie agreed and when they met up for the photo, they immediately hit it off. They became very close friends, and Carrie began advising Ernest in any way she could to help his career take off. She helped him buy stage clothes to make him look sharp during performances. She even helped him land his first record deal and she took him on a tour of movie theaters to help promote his early recordings.

In 1939, Ernest underwent a tonsillectomy, which left him unable to sing and yodel like Jimmie Rodgers. Ernest then had to find his own voice and musical identity. His new sound had more of a honky tonk feel to it and he soon became known for hits such as "Walking the Floor Over You." Ernest would become known as one of the greatest honky tonk singers of all time.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the first part of this series. Stay tuned for more!