THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

404-Tennessee Ernie Ford-Sixteen Tons.

1956-Number 1 single.

Best Bit-At 2.13. We all like a good moan from time to time about our working conditions, but at least your not working to pay the company store.

‘Sixteen Tons’ is about the terrible conditions coal miners in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, United States, had to work in during the middle of the 20th Century. Apart from the dangers to their health, and possible injury from faulty machinery, they were also very poorly paid. Employee’s were paid in commodities rather than actual money. They would receive credit vouchers which had to be spent at the company run and owned store, and their rent would be deducted from their wages, leaving many with little, or in debt. ‘Sixteen Tons’ was written, and first performed by Merle Travis in 1946. The line ‘You load sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt,’ came from a letter written to Travis by his brother John. Another line came from his father who had been a coal miner, who would often say, ‘I can’t afford to die, I owe my soul to the company store.’ The title of the song refers to a practice of initiating new miners. In the mid-1920’s, a miner tended to haul eight to 10 tons per day, whereas for new miners, other miners would slack off, so the new miner could ‘make sixteen’ on his very first day.’

Merle Robert Travis was born on November 29th, 1917, in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States, he died of a heart attack in 1983, at the age of 65. Travis was a leading exponent in the development of ‘Country,’ ‘Western Swing,’ and ‘Folk’ music, but is best remembered for developing a unique style of playing the guitar, which has become known as ‘Travis Picking,’ which was popularised by artists including Scotty Moore, (1931-2016) Lonnie Mack, (1941-2016) and Chet Atkins (1924-2001.) Merle Travis is acknowledged as one of the most influential American guitarists of the 20th Century. According to Chet Atkins, Travis ‘Went on in musical directions never dreamt about by his predecessors. He could shift quickly from finger-picking to flat-picking in the midst of a number by gripping his thumb-pick like a flat-pick. In his hands, the guitar resembled a full band.’ During his lifetime Merle Travis released a total of 23 Albums between 1947-1982. Since his death there have been a further 17 releases of compilations, and reissues. Travis had two Number 1 singles on the American Billboard ‘Hot Country Songs’ chart, (as it is now known) with ‘Divorce Me C.O.D.’ in 1946, and ‘So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed’ in 1947.

Tennessee Ernie Ford was born Ernest Jennings Ford, on February 13th, 1919, in Bristol, Tennessee, United States, he died on October 17th, 1991, at the age of 72. Ford had been a heavy drinker for many years, having ignored warnings from his doctors many years earlier, he finally succumbed to liver failure. As well as being a singer with a rich baritone voice, Ford also worked as a DJ, and radio personality, where he created the stage name ‘Tennessee Ernie,’ In 1954 he became a household name in America due to his portrayal of the character ‘Cousin Ernie’ in three episodes of the ‘I Love Lucy’ sit com. Ford would go on to host his own prime-time variety program ‘The Ford Show,’ recording 125 episodes between 1956-1961. There are a total of 60 Albums of his recordings available, and 89 singles, of which 13 reached the Billboard top 40.

‘Sixteen Tons’ was written in 1946 by Merle Travis, and released as a single in 1947. The version I have chosen is the 1955 recording by Tennessee Ernie Ford, who released his take on the song in October 1955, the production was by Jack Fascinato (1915-1994.) The song would later appear on Ford’s fourth Album ‘Ford Favorites,’ in 1957. At the time of recording ‘Sixteen Tons,’ Tennessee Ernie Ford was busy with his television and radio commitments, and had fallen behind with his contract with ‘Capitol Records.’ Ford has recalled, ‘Capitol told me I’d be in breach of contract if I didn’t record soon, but I was always thumbing through songbooks looking for music. I liked Merle Travis’ songbook. He’d lived in the coal mining community, and my grandfather and my uncle had mined coal. I showed ‘Sixteen Tons’ to my conductor as I liked it very much. Capitol kept telling me to get over there so we went with ‘Sixteen Tons’ and ‘You Don’t Have To Be A Baby To Cry,’ and we recorded them with a six-piece band. Lee Gillette (1912-1981) (the producer) said from the control, ‘What tempo do you want it in?’ and I snapped my fingers to show him. He said ‘Leave that in,’ and that snapping on ‘Sixteen Tons’ is me.

‘Sixteen Tons’ spent eight weeks at Number 1 in America for Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1955, selling over two million copies, despite a competing version from Johnny Desmond (1919-1985) which made Number 17. In the UK the song reached Number 1, and stayed there for four weeks in 1956, with competing versions being released by Edmund Hockridge, (1919-2009) on the ‘B’ side of his single ‘Young and Foolish,’ (UK Number 10) and Frankie Laine (1913-2007) (UK Number 10.)

‘You load sixteen tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St Peter don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go, I owe my soul to the company store.’