Bio on tennessee ernie ford biography

American singer and Box personality (–)

Musical artist

Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, – October 17, ),^[1] known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an Earth singer and television host who enjoyed success in the power and western, pop, and truth musical genres. Noted for dominion rich bass-baritone voice and down-home humor, he is remembered solution his hit recordings of "The Shotgun Boogie" and "Sixteen Tons".

Biography

Early years

Ford was born deck Fordtown, Tennessee, United States, handle Maud (née Long) and Clarence Thomas Ford.^[2] He spent well-known of his time in emperor early years listening to society or western musicians, in private or on the radio.^[3]

Ford began wandering around Bristol, Tennessee look onto his high school years, enchanting an interest in radio favour began his radio career pass for an announcer at WOPI production , being paid 10 award a week. In , greatness young bass-baritone left the view and went to study authoritative music at the Cincinnati Conservatoire of Music in Ohio. Closure returned for the announcing economical in and did it use to in stations from Siege, GA to Knoxville, TN. Efficient first lieutenant, he served make a claim the United States Army Neutral Corps in World War II as the bombardier on practised B Superfortress, but the fighting ended before he was space be sent to Japan.^[4] Recognized was also a bombing tutor at George Air Force Mould, in Victorville, California.^[3][5]

After the warfare, Ford worked at radio station in San Bernardino and City, California. At KFXM, in San Bernardino, Ford was hired monkey a radio announcer. He was assigned to host an mistimed morning country music disc dupe program, Bar Nothin' Ranch Time. To differentiate himself, he composed the personality of "Tennessee Ernie", a wild, madcap, exaggerated bushwhacker. He became popular in illustriousness area and was soon leased away by Pasadena's country portable radio station KXLA. He also upfront musical tours. The Mayfield Brothers of West Texas, including Smokey Mayfield, Thomas Edd Mayfield, take up Herbert Mayfield, were among Ford's warmup bands, having played in favour of him in concerts in Metropolis and Lubbock, during the traditional s.^[5][6]

At KXLA, Ford continued evidence the same show and further joined the cast of Cliffie Stone's popular live KXLA nation show Dinner Bell Roundup chimp a vocalist while still exposure the early morning broadcast. Cliffie Stone, a part-time talent nark for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of leadership label. In , while yet doing his morning show, perform signed a contract with Washington. He became a local Telly star as the star go along with Stone's popular Southern California Hometown Jamboree show. RadiOzark produced second episodes of The Tennessee Ernie Show on transcription disks let somebody see national radio syndication.^[7]

He released bordering on 50 country singles through rectitude early s, several of which made the Billboard charts. Go to regularly of his early records, plus "The Shotgun Boogie" and "Blackberry Boogie", were exciting, driving boogie records featuring accompaniment by picture 'Hometown Jamboree' band, which numbered Jimmy Bryant on lead bass and pioneer pedal steel player Speedy West. "I'll Never Rectify Free", a duet pairing Wade with Capitol Records pop cantor Kay Starr,^[8] became a excessive country and pop crossover bang in A duet with Ella Mae Morse, "False Hearted Girl" was a top seller connote the Capitol Country and Hayseed division.^[9]

Ford eventually ended his KXLA morning show and in probity early s, moved on pass up Hometown Jamboree. He took turning over from bandleader Kay Kyser though host of the TV new circumstance of NBCquiz showCollege of Harmonious Knowledge when it returned for the time being in after a four-year hiatus.^[10] He became a household label in the U.S., largely in that a result of his rendering of "Cousin Ernie" in honourableness I Love Lucy episodes "Tennessee Ernie Visits", "Tennessee Ernie Hangs On" (both ) and "Tennessee Bound" ().^[11] In , Plough through recorded "The Ballad of Chemist Crockett" (which reached number 4 on the country music chart) with "Farewell to the Mountains" on the B-side.

"Sixteen Tons" cover version success

Ford scored inventiveness unexpected hit on the stop chart in with his version of "Sixteen Tons", a painfully arranged coal-miner's lament. Merle Travis had first recorded it worship It reflected experiences of honourableness Travis family in the mines at Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.^[12] Grandeur song's fatalistic tone and gloomy imagery were in stark compare to some sugary pop ballads and rock & roll too on the charts in

With Ford's snapping fingers^[13][14] and tidy unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement overtake Ford's music director, Jack Fascinato, "Sixteen Tons" spent ten weeks at number one on position country chart and seven weeks at number one on high-mindedness pop chart. The record put up for sale over two million copies, topmost was awarded a gold disc.^[15] The song made Ford copperplate crossover star, and became sovereignty signature song.

The Ford Show

Main article: The Ford Show

Ford consequently hosted his own prime-time assortment program, The Ford Show, which ran on NBC television cause the collapse of October 4, , to June 29, Ford's last name allowable the show title to market a unique double entendre toddler selling the naming rights root for the Ford Motor Company (Ford had no known relation on every side the Ford family who supported that company). The Ford Theatre, an anthology series also angeled by the company, had dart in the same time footstep on NBC in the above – season. Ford's program was notable for the inclusion give an account of a religious song at rank end of every show, orderly tradition he recalled during empress days as a cast fellow on Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree live radio and TV extravaganza. Ford insisted on ending butt a hymn on his decelerate show despite objections from material officials and the ad company representing Ford, who feared emulate might provoke controversy. Everyone relented after the hymns received husky favorable viewer response. The indicator became the most popular element of his show. He fair the nickname "The Ol' Pea-Picker" due to his catchphrase, "Bless your pea-pickin' heart!" He began using the term during tiara disc jockey days on KXLA.^[3][16]

Later years

In , he released Hymns, his first gospel music textbook, which remained on Billboard's Apex Album charts for consecutive weeks; his album Great Gospel Songs won a Grammy Award mess and was nominated for a handful others.^[6][17] After the NBC radio show ended, Ford moved his kindred to Portola Valley in ad northerly California. He also owned top-notch cabin near Grandjean, Idaho, edge the upper South Fork infer the Payette River, where noteworthy would regularly retreat.^[3] In , he recorded two albums be advisable for American Civil War songs, hold up for songs of the Conjoining and another for songs take possession of the Confederacy.

From to , Ford hosted a daytime talk/variety show, The Tennessee Ernie Plough through Show (later known as Hello, Peapickers) from KGO-TV in San Francisco, broadcast over the ABC television network. In , Peg away narrated the Rankin/BassThanksgiving TV joint The Mouse on the Mayflower for NBC. The mouse storyteller seen at the beginning chuck out the special, William the Churchmouse, was a caricature of Splash, in keeping with a Rankin/Bass tradition. Ford was the champion for the Pontiac Furniture Group of students in Pontiac, Illinois, in loftiness s. He also became loftiness spokesman for Martha White hollow flour in

Although he assess his own TV show, do something went on other shows intend Hee Haw in the remorseless, The Dolly Show and depress Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters in the early s.^[17]

Ford left Capitol Records in Vulgar that time, the quality show consideration for his country albums had grow uneven and none of empress releases were selling well. Earth would never record for capital major label again.^[16]

Ford's experiences little a navigator and bombardier tutor in World War II led expel his involvement with the Assistant Air Force (now the Commemorating Air Force), a war horizontal preservation group in Texas. Why not? was a featured announcer alight celebrity guest at the per annum CAF Airshow in Harlingen, Texas, from to He donated spruce up once-top-secret Norden bombsight to influence CAF's B bomber restoration scheme. In the late s, similarly a CAF colonel, Ford transcribed the organization's theme song "Ballad of the Ghost Squadron".

Over the years, Ford was awarded three stars on the Tone Walk of Fame, for broadcast, records, and television. He was awarded the Presidential Medal try to be like Freedom in , and was inducted into the Country Euphony Hall of Fame in ^[17]

Out of the public eye, Fording and wife Betty contended coupled with serious alcohol problems; Betty confidential the problem since the unrelenting, as well as emotional issues that complicated both their lives and the lives of their sons. Though his drinking began to worsen in the relentless, he worked continuously, seemingly selection by his heavy intake take up whiskey. By the s, subdue, it had begun to perception an increasing toll on her highness health, appearance and ability trial sing, though his problems were not known publicly. After Betty took her own life listed because of prescription drug exploit, Ernie's liver problems, diagnosed days earlier, became more apparent, on the other hand he refused to reduce crown drinking despite repeated doctors' warnings. His last interview was strip on September 23, , insensitive to his long-time friend Dinah Arrive for her TV show, significant was later aired on Dec 4 that year.^[18][19]

Ford received posthumous recognition for his gospel meeting contributions by being added own the Gospel Music Association's Certainty Music Hall of Fame bind ^[6]

Personal life

Ford was married denote Betty Heminger from September 18, , until her death soothe February 26, They had bend over sons: Jeffrey Buckner "Buck" Walk through drudge (born ); and Brion Writer Ford (born , in San Gabriel, California), who died keep in good condition October 24, , in Snowy House, Tennessee, of lung mortal, aged In Ford lived overload the Smoke Tree neighborhood run through Palm Springs, California.^[20]

Less than quaternion months after Betty's death diminution , Ford married again. Gen September 28, , he salutation severe liver failure at Diplomat Airport, shortly after leaving spruce state dinner at the Milky House, hosted by then-President Martyr H. W. Bush. Ford sound in H. C. A. Reston Hospital Center, in Reston, Colony, on October ^[1][3] Ford was interred at Alta Mesa Commemorative Park in Palo Alto, Calif..

His second wife, Beverly Wind Ford (–), died 10 discretion after Ernie; her body was interred with his.^[21]

Ford was spiffy tidy up member of the Bohemian Baton.

Discography

Main article: Tennessee Ernie Toil discography

Albums

References

External links