Jimmy Rogers (June 3, 1924–December 19, 1997) was a blues guitarist best kn… Read Full Bio ↴Jimmy Rogers (June 3, 1924–December 19, 1997) was a blues guitarist best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters' band of the 1950s.

Jimmy Rogers was born James A. Lane in Ruleville, Mississippi, and was raised in Memphis. Rogers learned the harmonica alongside his childhood friend Snooky Pryor, and as a teenager took up the guitar and played professionally in East St. Louis, Illinois (where he played with Junior Lockwood), before moving to Chicago in the mid-1940s after serving in the military. By 1946 he'd made his first record as a harmonica player and singer for the local Harlem label, although his name was not included on the label — the record was issued under the names "Memphis Slim and his Houserockers".

Rogers joined Waters the next year, with whom he helped shape the sound of the nascent Chicago Blues style. Although he had several successful releases of his own on Chess Records beginning in 1950 with "That's Alright", he stayed in Waters' band until leaving the band for a solo career in 1954. In the mid 1950s he enjoyed several successful record releases, most notably "Walking By Myself", but as the '50s drew to a close and interest in the blues waned, he gradually withdrew from the music business.
By the 1960s he was working mainly outside of music, until 1971 when fashions made him a reasonable draw in Europe, and he was able to record again, including a 1977 session with Waters. By 1982, Rogers was again a solo artist.

He continued touring and recording albums until his death in 1997, in Chicago.
Jimmy Rogers (1984) - (Compilation album of some pre-1960 songs)
Ludella (1990)
Jimmy Rogers with Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters (1991) - Live
Feelin' Good with special guest Rod Piazza (1994) Blind Pig
Sloppy Drunk (1998) - (Compact disc re-issue of original album released in December 1973)
Blue Bird (1994) - Analogue Productions Originals
Blues Blues Blues (1999)
The Complete Chess Recordings(1997)

That's All Right
Jimmy Rogers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You told me baby, once upon a time
You said if I would be yours, you would sure be mine
That's alright
I know you don't love me no more baby, but that's alright
Every night and day I wonder who is loving you tonight

You told me baby, your love for me was strong
When I woke up little girl, half of this big world was gone

That's alright
I guess I'll never be the same but that's alright
Every night and day I wonder who is loving you tonight

(spoken: Play the blues for me Freddie King!)

Please tell me baby, what's getting wrong with you?
You don't treat me halfway right baby, look a like you used to do
But that's alright

I guess I'll never be the same but that's alright
Every night and day I wonder who is loving you tonight

Overall Meaning

In "That's All Right," Jimmy Rogers sings about the end of a relationship and the pain of a lost love. The lyrics reflect on the promises made at the beginning of the relationship and contrast them with the current reality of being alone and wondering who their former partner might be with now. The opening lines, “You told me baby, once upon a time, You said if I would be yours, you would sure be mine,” suggest a relationship that was founded on the idea of love and commitment. However, the singer soon realizes that their love interest no longer feels the same, but they are able to accept this and move on.

The verse, “Please tell me baby, what's getting wrong with you? You don't treat me halfway right baby, look a like you used to do” expresses the singer's confusion and sadness over the changes in the relationship. Despite this, they choose to be positive, saying, “That's alright, I guess I'll never be the same but that's alright.” This lyric emphasizes the idea that sometimes relationships just don't work out, and it’s important to be able to move on even if it’s difficult. The repetition of the line, “Every night and day I wonder who is loving you tonight,” drives home the sense of loss and uncertainty that the singer is feeling.

Line by Line Meaning

You told me baby, once upon a time
At some point in the past, you had told me something, baby...

You said if I would be yours, you would sure be mine
... you had told me that if I became yours, then you would be mine.

That's alright
You know what? It's OK.

I know you don't love me no more baby, but that's alright
I understand that you don't love me anymore, but I accept it and everything will be alright.

Every night and day I wonder who is loving you tonight
Every single night and day, I think about who might be the one loving and taking care of you right now.

You told me baby, your love for me was strong
You had previously told me that you had very strong feelings of love towards me, baby...

When I woke up little girl, half of this big world was gone
...but then something happened, perhaps it was when I woke up and realized that so much of this world was lost or missing.

I guess I'll never be the same but that's alright
I suppose that I'll never be able to revert back to how things were before, but it's okay.

Please tell me baby, what's getting wrong with you?
Tell me, my dear, what is causing you to act differently towards me than before?

You don't treat me halfway right baby, look a like you used to do
You seem to not be treating me with as much care and attention as you once did, baby.

But that's alright
But, nonetheless, everything will be okay.

I guess I'll never be the same but that's alright
Even though I may never be the same again, I can accept that.

Every night and day I wonder who is loving you tonight
I am constantly thinking of who could be loving and cherishing you at this very moment, every night and day.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James A. Lane

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@20brunaveiga

4y↑4

Você me disse, babe
há um tempo atrás
você disse que se eu fosse seu
então você seria minha,
mas tudo bem
sei que você ama outro cara
mas tudo bem,
toda noite e dia me pergunto
quem estará te amando essa noite?
Você me disse, babe
que seu amor por mim era forte
mas quando acordei,
metade desse grande mundo tinha ido embora,
mas tudo bem
sei que você não me ama mais
mas tudo bem,
toda noite e dia me pegunto
quem estará te amando essa noite?
me diga, babe
o que há de errado com você
você não tem me tratado tão bem
quanto você costumava fazer
mas tudo bem
sei que você não me ama mais babe
mas tudo bem,
toda noite e dia me pergunto
quem estará te amando essa noite?

All comments from YouTube:

@airtow6766

24w↑3

One of the best, most original artists on Chess Records from the time. I wore out 2 copies listening and practicing guitar to this album.

@bornonsouthside3094

1y↑1

Recorded August 15, 1950 in Chicago, IL; Jimmy Rogers, voc, g; Little Walter, hca; Big Crawford, b

@carpas51

12y↑9

Jimmy Rogers so fantastic love his voice and guitar.

@s.geo.7639

8y↑9

Brilliant poetic lyrics

@mariogmusic

2y↑1

Jimmy is the man

@LindaCasey

1y↑2

💜

@omarmerle

10y↑7

Line-up on That's All Right is Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter and Big Crawford (according to Mike Rowe - Chicago Blues)

@a54109

8y↑8

Thanks. I like this older style when the guitar solos weren't too extravagant.

@iaingibney8960

7y↑2

You got check big jon atkinson

@imannonymous7707

6y↑1

a54109 chord solos 101 cant agree with you more....serve the song

@SaphirSouenEstherG

8y↑1

Thank you. Shared on G+, August 28, 2016.

@SifetFelic

6y↑2

Blues is the Best

@yolandarodriguez3578

1y↑1

so fine

@adaptiveagile

11y↑2

Absolutely awesome. Thanks for posting. My favorite version of Jimmy's classic is T-Bone's soulful acoustic version on the Gold CD 1.

@johnhedgerguitarstudio3436

3y↑1

A bit of controversy on who wrote this song. If I remember correctly Robert Lockwood Jr. claimed authorship...though Rogers here really did the definitive version I would say! I teach the intro and solo to all of my blues students!

@Lookup2Wakeup

10y↑7

I see where Clapton gets his solos from now!

@mickeyshavivbigbadboogie4492

6y↑3

CLAPTON JUST COPY LIKE ELVIS ! NOT THE INVENTOR OF THOSE SONGS LICKS AND SOLOS - SHAME

@KieraQ0323

4y↑3

@@mickeyshavivbigbadboogie4492 Listen... That's every good musician ever. It's how you use 'em that counts.

@mauricewashington3123

4y↑1

I just wish he would have done more music.

@lindxs91

5y↑3

Yo love 🇧🇷

@paulkossak7761

2y↑1

The Chicago sound?

@20brunaveiga

4y↑4

@ameliahagen2641

11y

<3 <3 <3

@sergiorighetto4250

2y↑1

Mi dico " va tutto bene" anche se tutto va male BLUES BLUES BLUES...

@carolspencer17

11y↑1

Big Walter Horton is the best harp player bar none!

@josebordoy9535

5y↑2

is Little Walter whos playing in this song ….and almost in all early Jimmy Rogers recordings or chess recordings

@reggaefan2700

4y↑2

You ever heard of Little Walter? Little Walter is the best.

@kenadams591

10y↑2

I got a great woman but I've been so fkd over in the past idk how to feel anymore?
Any advice? I would appreciate peace

@iaingibney8960

7y↑3

Buy a guitar and man up , get on listen to blues , get a better woman

@rikij05

Peggy Huh?

@imannonymous7707

6y↑1

ya this guy the shit...apperantly he played on alot of classic chess recordings too......like a guy named mud for example....right???

@KieraQ0323

Muddy Waters, one of the greatest singers ever...

@starfish50

11y↑1

Truthfuly Jimmy Rogers is not singing o n this at all. - He may of wrote the song, I don't know, but it is a bit missleading

@jay1beaux

It doesn't sound like Jimmy Rogers

@mojoscott2

5y↑1

sounds like Jimmy singing to me...check out his other stuff...same timbre

@AJLucasLuthier

2y↑2

Don't confuse him with Jimmy Rogers the country singer, also known as 'The Singing Brakeman'. This is Jimmy Rogers and he was a member of Muddy Waters' first Chicago band along with Little Walter.

@myradioon

1y↑1

The country singer is spelled jimmie

@rashadsimpson6047

10y↑3

Why is there a lot of white men singing his song!? This song needs to be more credited... After reading Seven Guitars by August Wilson I wanted to search his song and a lot of white men came up... That is so racist, this is almost like Cadliac Records. GIVE JIMMY ROGERS THE CREDIT! Additionally he sings this better than all the copy caters... Original is = ALWAYS BETTER.

@hoothootie2995

10y↑2

Rashad...What's racist about this? You must be racist to even think that.
You should just enjoy the music and stop with the hating.

@preachersdtr1

10y↑2

hoot hootie While it's not "racist" or "hating" to comment on the facts (and what he cites is a fact and, in my opinion, an example of institutionalized Racism), what Mr. Simpson may not have stopped to think about, in his indignation at Whites performing Jimmy Rogers's songs, is this: If Jimmy Rogers owns the Copy Rights to this song, every time ANY one sings it in a commercial venue or plays it in a commercial venue or uses it in a movie, a Radio or TV Commercial, a video...whatever.....Jimmy Rogers collects a royalty check. That's the Law. If they do or do not credit him, verbally or in print, with being the Author of it, they are still legally obligated to pay the legally determined sum, or they can be issued a "cease and desist" Order by the Courts, and ordered to pay the fees due for the number of times they've used it without the Copy Right Owner's signed permission.

As you can imagine, most Musicians/Songwriters LOVE for people to use their "Musical/Creative Properties" with their Permission. If nothing else, as when the Artist/Author does not own the song which he or she created (because, until relatively recent times, many of the Blues Artists were ripped off by one or the other of the recording companies, many of whom claimed ownership of the lyrics and music for the company, exclusively), asking the "Artist & Author" 's permission is seen as a sign of respect from one Professional to another Professional for whose work they have great love, respect, and admiration.

Elvis Presley was the first person I actually heard sing this song, when I was a kid (bought that 45 RPM record out of my babysitting money when I was in my very early teens), but he had Jimmy Rogers credited right on that yellow Sun Records label, to the best of my recollection. I, too, prefer Jimmy Rogers' slow, bluesy original; but, I'm just as sure that Mr. Jimmy Rogers didn't give a damn what speed Elvis sang it at, or how "White" Elvis Presley was or wasn't, when that fat old royalty money came rolling in. I hope Elvis made him, and all the other Black Artists who Elvis loved and respected and whose songs he "covered," a very tidy sum, indeed. That would have made him very happy, from all I've ever heard of him. Check out the Credits on Mr. Presley's records, to see what his ethics were in this matter, at a time when many White Artists covered Black Artists' material without credit or remuneration (or, I daresay, a second thought or a moment's hesitation). And, that, my dear sir, is fact. It was standard practice, and it was definitely Racist, whether mentioning it makes one uncomfortable now, or not. I'm pretty sure it was damned "uncomfortable" for the people who had their livelihood stolen from them so regularly and so nonchalantly.