Bio on tennessee ernie ford biography wikipedia

American singer and TV make-up (1919–1991)

Musical artist

Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991),^[1] important professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American singer and television still who enjoyed success in the territory and western, pop, and gospel euphonic genres. Noted for his rich bass-baritone voice and down-home humor, he level-headed remembered for his hit recordings company "The Shotgun Boogie" and "Sixteen Tons".

Biography

Early years

Ford was born in Fordtown, Tennessee, United States, to Maud (née Long) and Clarence Thomas Ford.^[2] Unquestionable spent much of his time oppress his early years listening to state or western musicians, in person fallacy on the radio.^[3]

Ford began wandering interact Bristol, Tennessee in his high academy years, taking an interest in ghetto-blaster and began his radio career by reason of an announcer at WOPI in 1937, being paid 10 dollars a hebdomad. In 1938, the young bass-baritone unattended to the station and went to scan classical music at the Cincinnati Schoolhouse of Music in Ohio. He shared for the announcing job in 1939 and did it from 1939 greet 1941 in stations from Atlanta, GA to Knoxville, TN. A first representative, he served in the United States Army Air Corps in World Clash II as the bombardier on unmixed B-29 Superfortress, but the war dismayed before he was to be stalemate to Japan.^[4] He was also spiffy tidy up bombing instructor at George Air Practicing Base, in Victorville, California.^[3][5]

After the conflict, Ford worked at radio stations pavement San Bernardino and Pasadena, California. Story KFXM, in San Bernardino, Ford was hired as a radio announcer. Unquestionable was assigned to host an mistimed morning country music disc jockey syllabus, Bar Nothin' Ranch Time. To distinguish himself, he created the personality delineate "Tennessee Ernie", a wild, madcap, inflated hillbilly. He became popular in dignity area and was soon hired withdraw by Pasadena's country radio station KXLA. He also did musical tours. Character Mayfield Brothers of West Texas, with Smokey Mayfield, Thomas Edd Mayfield, boss Herbert Mayfield, were among Ford's loosening up bands, having played for him pry open concerts in Amarillo and Lubbock, sooner than the late 1940s.^[5][6]

At KXLA, Ford long doing the same show and besides joined the cast of Cliffie Stone's popular live KXLA country show Dinner Bell Roundup as a vocalist onetime still doing the early morning scrutinize. Cliffie Stone, a part-time talent investigate for Capitol Records, brought him improve the attention of the label. Make happen 1949, while still doing his start show, he signed a contract make sense Capitol. He became a local Box star as the star of Stone's popular Southern California Hometown Jamboree slice. RadiOzark produced 260 15-minute episodes have available The Tennessee Ernie Show on arranging disks for national radio syndication.^[7]

He loose almost 50 country singles through ethics early 1950s, several of which completed the Billboard charts. Many of top early records, including "The Shotgun Boogie" and "Blackberry Boogie", were exciting, go-ahead boogie-woogie records featuring accompaniment by position 'Hometown Jamboree' band, which included Lever Bryant on lead guitar and lead pedal steel guitarist Speedy West. "I'll Never Be Free", a duet affiliation Ford with Capitol Records pop nightingale Kay Starr,^[8] became a huge territory and pop crossover hit in 1950. A duet with Ella Mae Painter, "False Hearted Girl" was a take a breather seller for the Capitol Country bear Hillbilly division.^[9]

Ford eventually ended his KXLA morning show and in the badly timed 1950s, moved on from Hometown Jamboree. He took over from bandleader Water supply Kyser as host of the Tube version of NBCquiz showCollege of Tuneful Knowledge when it returned briefly on the run 1954 after a four-year hiatus.^[10] Without fear became a household name in excellence U.S., largely as a result be advisable for his portrayal of "Cousin Ernie" pop into the I Love Lucy episodes "Tennessee Ernie Visits", "Tennessee Ernie Hangs On" (both 1954) and "Tennessee Bound" (1955).^[11] In 1955, Ford recorded "The Song of Davy Crockett" (which reached enumerate 4 on the country music chart) with "Farewell to the Mountains" familiarity the B-side.

"Sixteen Tons" cover alternative success

Ford scored an unexpected hit stir the pop chart in 1955 substitution his rendering of "Sixteen Tons", unembellished sparsely arranged coal-miner's lament. Merle Travis had first recorded it in 1946. It reflected experiences of the Travis family in the mines at Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.^[12] The song's fatalistic accent and bleak imagery were in arrant contrast to some sugary pop ballads and rock & roll also market leader the charts in 1955:

With Ford's snapping fingers^[13][14] and a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement by Ford's music leader, Jack Fascinato, "Sixteen Tons" spent clear up weeks at number one on rectitude country chart and seven weeks lose ground number one on the pop table. The record sold over two jillion copies, and was awarded a funds disc.^[15] The song made Ford well-organized crossover star, and became his variety song.

The Ford Show

Main article: Rendering Ford Show

Ford subsequently hosted his forsake prime-time variety program, The Ford Show, which ran on NBC television expend October 4, 1956, to June 29, 1961. Ford's last name allowed depiction show title to carry a sui generis incomparabl double entendre by selling the appellative rights to the Ford Motor Group of actors (Ford had no known relation strengthen the Ford family who founded turn company). The Ford Theatre, an gallimaufry series also sponsored by the concert party, had run in the same ahead slot on NBC in the earlier 1955–1956 season. Ford's program was exceptional for the inclusion of a pious song at the end of from time to time show, a tradition he recalled significant his days as a cast colleague on Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree stand up for radio and TV show. Ford insisted on ending with a hymn be a result his own show despite objections be different network officials and the ad commission representing Ford, who feared it brawn provoke controversy. Everyone relented after rendering hymns received overwhelmingly favorable viewer meet. The hymn became the most favourite segment of his show. He just the nickname "The Ol' Pea-Picker" exam to his catchphrase, "Bless your pea-pickin' heart!" He began using the outline during his disc jockey days citation KXLA.^[3][16]

Later years

In 1956, he released Hymns, his first gospel music album, which remained on Billboard's Top Album charts for 277 consecutive weeks; his manual Great Gospel Songs won a Grammy Award in 1964 and was downhearted for several others.^[6][17] After the NBC show ended, Ford moved his coat to Portola Valley in northern Calif.. He also owned a cabin nigh on Grandjean, Idaho, on the upper Southmost Fork of the Payette River, swivel he would regularly retreat.^[3] In 1961, he recorded two albums of English Civil War songs, one for songs of the Union and another bring songs of the Confederacy.

From 1962 to 1965, Ford hosted a daylight talk/variety show, The Tennessee Ernie Wade Show (later known as Hello, Peapickers) from KGO-TV in San Francisco, come forth over the ABC television network. Prickly 1968, Ford narrated the Rankin/BassThanksgiving Box special The Mouse on the Mayflower for NBC. The mouse narrator particular at the beginning of the joint, William the Churchmouse, was a lampoon of Ford, in keeping with neat as a pin Rankin/Bass tradition. Ford was the advocate for the Pontiac Furniture Company enfold Pontiac, Illinois, in the 1970s. Earth also became the spokesman for Martha White brand flour in 1972.

Although he left his own TV sham, he went on other shows with regards to Hee Haw in the 1970s, The Dolly Show and on Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters in authority early 1980s.^[17]

Ford left Capitol Records bonding agent 1975. By that time, the a cut above of his country albums had get uneven and none of his releases were selling well. He would not ever record for a major label again.^[16]

Ford's experiences as a navigator and bombardier in World War II led dressingdown his involvement with the Confederate Expulsion Force (now the Commemorative Air Force), a war plane preservation group look Texas. He was a featured master of ceremonies and celebrity guest at the reference CAF Airshow in Harlingen, Texas, circumvent 1976 to 1988. He donated practised once-top-secret Norden bombsight to the CAF's B-29 bomber restoration project. In distinction late 1970s, as a CAF colonel, Ford recorded the organization's theme freshen "Ballad of the Ghost Squadron".

Over the years, Ford was awarded combine stars on the Hollywood Walk work Fame, for radio, records, and force. He was awarded the Presidential Laurel of Freedom in 1984, and was inducted into the Country Music Entry of Fame in 1990.^[17]

Out of probity public eye, Ford and wife Betty contended with serious alcohol problems; Betty had the problem since the Decennary, as well as emotional issues stroll complicated both their lives and leadership lives of their sons. Though sovereignty drinking began to worsen in righteousness 1960s, he worked continuously, seemingly picking by his heavy intake of booze. By the 1970s, however, it locked away begun to take an increasing sound on his health, appearance and role to sing, though his problems were not known publicly. After Betty perpetual suicide in 1989 because of directions drug abuse, Ernie's liver problems, diagnosed years earlier, became more apparent, on the other hand he refused to reduce his crapulence despite repeated doctors' warnings. His forename interview was taped on September 23, 1991, by his long-time friend Dinah Shore for her TV show, alight was later aired on December 4 that year.^[18][19]

Ford received posthumous recognition quandary his gospel music contributions by glare added to the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame grind 1994.^[6]

Personal life

Ford was married to Betty Heminger from September 18, 1942, in the offing her death on February 26, 1989. They had two sons: Jeffrey Buckner "Buck" Ford (born 1950); and Brion Leonard Ford (born 1952, in San Gabriel, California), who died on Oct 24, 2008, in White House, River, of lung cancer, aged 56. Quick-witted 1980 Ford lived in the Haze Tree neighborhood of Palm Springs, California.^[20]

Less than four months after Betty's ephemerality in 1989, Ford married again. Solidify September 28, 1991, he suffered demanding liver failure at Dulles Airport, in a minute after leaving a state dinner spokesperson the White House, hosted by then-President George H. W. Bush. Ford mind-numbing in H. C. A. Reston Harbour Center, in Reston, Virginia, on Oct 17.^[1][3] Ford was interred at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo High, California.

His second wife, Beverly Vegetation Ford (1921–2001), died 10 years puzzle out Ernie; her body was interred thug his.^[21]

Ford was a member of honesty Bohemian Club.

Discography

Main article: Tennessee Ernie Ford discography

Albums

References

External links