James Frederick Rodgers (September 18, 1933 – January 18, 2021) was an American singer and actor. Rodgers had a run of hits and mainstream popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. His string of crossover singles ranked highly on the Billboard Pop Singles, Hot Country and Western Sides, and Hot Rhythm and Blues Sides charts; in the 1960s, Rodgers had more modest successes with adult contemporary music. He was not related to country music pioneer Jimmie C. Rodgers (1897–1933), who died the same year the younger Rodgers was born. Among country audiences, and in his official songwriting credits, the younger Rodgers, Jimmie Frederick, was often credited as Jimmie F. Rodgers to differentiate the two. Career Early Years Rodgers was born in Camas, Washington. He was the second son of Archie and Mary Rodgers. Rodgers was taught music by his mother, a piano teacher, and began performing as a child, first entertaining at a Christmas show when he was only five. He learned to play the piano and guitar, and performed locally. After attending Camas High School, he briefly took courses at Clark Junior College in Vancouver, Washington. He later went to work in a paper mill. Although he loved music, he was uncertain whether he could turn it into a career. He was subsequently drafted and served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. 1950s While in the Air Force, Rodgers joined a band called "The Melodies" started by violinist Phil Clark. During his service, he was transferred to Nashville, where he was stationed at Sewart Air Force Base from 1954-1956. It was during this time that he began expanding his musical repertoire. While he was in Nashville, he first heard the song that would become his first hit, "Honeycomb". Like a number of other entertainers of the era, he was one of the contestants on Arthur Godfrey's talent show on CBS television, winning $700. When Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore left RCA Victor for Morris Levy's company, Roulette Records, they became aware of Rodgers' talent and signed him to a recording contract. In the summer of 1957, he recorded his own version of "Honeycomb", which had been written by Bob Merrill and recorded by Georgie Shaw three years earlier. The tune was Rodgers' biggest hit, staying on the top of the charts for four weeks. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc