Posted on 09/20/2024 4:14:05 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Tennessee Ernie Ford wasn’t the first to record ‘Sixteen Tons,’ but he made it his signature song in 1955, and the title track of an album released in 1960.
Tennessee Ernie Ford wasn’t the first artist to record “Sixteen Tons,” but he made it his signature. The song, inspired by the travails of the real-life coal miners of Kentucky, was first recorded by one of his forerunners on the Capitol label, Merle Travis, in 1947.
That popular version, of a song that bore Travis’ songwriting credit from then on, didn’t show up on the Billboard charts on the day, even though Travis was emerging with other hits at the time. By 1955, it was ripe for a remake – and would later become the title of one of Ford’s Capitol albums.
Ernest Jennings Ford, from Bristol, Tennessee, had been having big country hits in the US since the late 40s. Recording as Tennessee Ernie, he racked up no fewer than 14 country chart entries in four years after debuting with the jaunty, accordion-toting “Tennessee Border” in 1949.
All but one of those singles made the Top 10, but none crossed over to the pop market, and neither did the first release to bear his surname, “River Of No Return.” It came from the movie of that name starring Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe. Then the year of Ford’s crossover arrived.
Tennessee Ernie in Disneyland In 1955, he made both the country and pop Top 10 with “Ballad Of Davy Crockett,” from the Disneyland TV series. Ford hit even bigger with his “Sixteen Tons” remake, which spent ten weeks atop the country chart and eight on the pop side. For the rest of the decade, he would see more action in the pop market, and scored several major gospel-themed albums, including Hymns, Spirituals and Nearer The Cross.
Curiously, Sixteen Tons the album didn’t arrive until 1960, and, even more surprisingly, was not a chart item, even though Ford was in the middle of a ten-year run on TV with his own variety show. Nevertheless, leading off with the title track, it became a vinyl salute to his triumphs of the decade that had just ended. The LP included his earlier country No.1s, with “Mule Train” and his own composition “The Shot Gun Boogie.”
More country hits
Also included was 1950’s “The Cry Of The Wild Goose,” which, like “Mule Train,” saw Ford scoring the country hit with a song taken into the pop charts by Frankie Laine. Sixteen Tons also sported the country top tenners “Smokey Mountain Boogie” and “Blackberry Boogie.”
“The Old Pea Picker,” as Ford was known, returned to the country chart in the mid-60s with the hit “Hicktown,” making further appearances in the 70s and recording into the 80s. He died at the age of 72 in 1991, but Sixteen Tons is a fine testament to a much-loved inductee of the Country Music Hall Of Fame.
16 tons of what?
Fentanyl?
Popcorn and beer
Coal.
And back in the day when employees were paid in “clacker” that could only be spent in the company store for goods.
Kinda how the globalists want us in CBDC.
Number 9 coal
The Number 9 Coal Mine was opened in 1855 by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company and produced a significant amount of anthracite coal from the Panther Valley’s Mammoth Vein in Carbon County, PA
Coal
Probably the 1st song I can remember
What a marvelous voice Ernie Ford had.
Anthracite vein still burning up in PA to this day due to government stupidity. Ruined a beautiful small town.
I like Homer & Jethro’s version.
I am a volunteer DJ one hour a week at a community college radio station. I host a show playing classic country songs.
Sixteen Tons, by Tennessee Ernie Ford, is a regular favorite of listeners.
One of my daughter’s college friends lives now with his ageing parents to help care for them. His mother has such advanced dementia, she does not even know the man as her son. She usually thinks of him as some kind of caregiver who comes in to help. She rarely communicates by talking.
The family gathers to hear my weekly show on our Internet radio archive site.
One day, they were gathered and I began playing Sixteen Tons. I was told Mother’s eyes brightened and a big smile came upon her face. She began to sing along with song.
The family was shocked and joyful ! Mother had a connection they could see and it was a wonderful moment for the family.
Our musical memories are buried deep inside our minds and this experience proves it.
I try to play the song regularly and advise the family to have Mom listen. It has been a blessing for me to bring a little joy to that family with a special song.
Stacy Abrams
Ode To Billie Joe is a good one too.
Love them both, but (JMO here) Castellucci’s “16 Tons is better than Ford’s. Ford’s “Shenandoah” is better than Castellucci’s. I could listen to both every day and never get tired of either one. Castellucci has the benefit of modern technology, so he’s got an edge in showmanship. Check out “Folsom Prison Blues” or “Oogie Boogie’s Song.” Overall, though, Ford’s voice would be my desert island pick.
The most wonderful story!
First song I remember was Glow Little Glow Worm. I was 4 years old. 16 tons was about 3 years later.
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