Elsie McWilliams | |
---|---|
Born | Elsie Williamson June 1, 1896 Harperville, Mississippi |
Died | December 30, 1985 | (aged 89)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | songwriter |
Known for | Jimmie Rodgers |
Notable work | Blue Yodel |
Elsie McWilliams (nee Williamson, June 1, 1896 – December 30, 1985) was a songwriter who wrote for Jimmie Rodgers. McWilliams, even though she is only officially credited with writing twenty songs, actually wrote or co-wrote 39 songs for Rodgers. [1] [2] McWilliams was his most frequent collaborator. [3] She was the first woman to make a career as a country music songwriter. [4]
McWilliams was born in Harperville, Mississippi into a musical and religious family. [1] She graduated from high school in 1917 in Meridian and afterwards, taught school until she married. [5]
Her sister, Carrie, married Jimmie Rogers and in 1920, she and Rogers formed a dance band. [1] McWilliams played piano and sang in the band. [4]
Rodgers asked McWilliams to help him with songwriting after he secured a recording contract and McWilliams agreed, traveling to recording sessions and collaborating. [1] Rodgers could not read music, so McWilliams would play the songs and he would learn them by ear. [6] The first song she wrote for Rodgers was A Sailor's Plea. [6] Many of her songs became top hits. [6] McWilliams's ideas for her songs often "came from conversation" and she said that "When an idea hit me, I would have to write it down that minute or it would get away." [6]
Part of the reason he needed help was because his health was poor. [5] Even though McWilliams helped him write songs, she only took credit for some, stating that she wanted the full amount of the money to go to Rodgers and his family. [7] Sometimes when she received payment for her work, she would turn the royalties back over to Rodgers. [6]
After Rodger's death in 1933, McWilliams focused more on her family and her church. [6] In 1938, she and her sister made recordings in memory of Rodgers. [8] In 1979, she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. [9] In 2010, a marker on the Mississippi Country Music Trail was created to honor her work. [10]