2007

SG History 101 - Tennessee Ernie Ford

This month, I’ll step away just a bit from strictly southern gospel to tell the story and highlight the accomplishments of a man who did as much as anyone to bring Christian music to the forefront of popular culture.

For the world famous entertainer known as “Tennessee” Ernie Ford sold over 40 million records of Christian music over a career than spanned almost 40 years…and in so doing, undoubtedly reached more people with the gospel in music than almost any other recording artist.

Ford’s story begins on February 13, 1919 in Bristol, Tennessee, where he was born to a family that was not unlike many other families in that part of Tennessee…one that went to church twice on Sunday, and probably many more times during the week. Young Ernest Jennings Ford grew up singing from his earliest recollections, and he developed skills on various musical instruments as well in his youth. He also grew up in the infancy of radio, and since he was gifted with a naturally big, expressive voice, sought a career in the fledgling medium.

He found work as an announcer in his hometown of Bristol at station WOPI, where he read news and made other announcements for the station. Then in 1939, when he turned 20, the young Ford attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he studied classical music as well as voice. Clearly, the youngster had plans on using his voice in a big way...although no one could realize what was in store in that regard for young Ernie Ford.

When World War II came, Ford, like many other young men his age, opted to serve his country in the war effort…and 1st Lieutenant Ford served as the bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress flying missions over Japan.

After the war, Ford moved to California and resumed his radio career, hosting an early morning country music radio show over station KFXM in San Bernardino. Then, as now, disc jockeys used gimmicks to stand out from their competition, and Ford’s was a character he created called “Tennessee Ernie”, a caricature of a hillbilly. It was on that show, known as the “Bar Nothin’ Ranch”, that Ford first became known as “Tennessee Ernie”, and the nickname stuck with him for the rest of his life.

Ford’s show became popular, and as a result, he was hired away to do the same show for a much larger station, Pasadena’s KXLA. There he met Cliff Stone, a popular personality in the area who hosted a show called “Dinner Bell Roundup”, and joined the cast of that show as a singer, while continuing his morning show there. He also joined the cast of Stone’s “Hometown Jamboree” western TV show. As luck (or providence) would have it, Stone was also a part-time talent scout for the young Capitol record label, and Stone brought Ford to Capitol’s attention. In 1949, while still doing the KXLA morning show, Ford signed a contract with Capitol Records, beginning a 37-year association with the label.

Right away, Ford proved to be a hitmaker for Capitol. His first record for them, a cover of Frankie Laine’s huge pop hit “Mule Train”, got his record career off to a flying start. Many of his next few singles were hard-driving western boogie tunes, such as “Anticipation Blues”, “Shotgun Boogie”, and “Blackberry Boogie”, backed by the Hometown Jamboree Band which included guitarist Jimmy Bryant and steel guitarist Speedy West, and sometimes Capitol artist Merle Travis. Ford showed his versatility early by teaming up with fellow Capitol artist Kay Starr for a huge pop crossover hit in 1950, “I’ll Never Be Free”.

Eventually, Ford was able to quit his morning radio show and concentrate on recording. In 1953, he left the Hometown Jamboree show to take over for famed bandleader Kay Kyser on NBC’s revival of the latter’s quiz show, “Kollege of Musical Knowledge”. Ford also guested on a few episodes of “I Love Lucy” as country bumpkin “Cousin Ernie”.

In 1955, Ford’s career would take another major turn. He recorded a version of Travis’ coal-miner’s lament “Sixteen Tons”. It shot to the top of the charts quickly, becoming #1 on the pop charts for eight straight weeks. The song became one of the biggest selling singles in recorded history, and cemented Ford as a national singing star. “Sixteen Tons” became Ford’s “sugar stick”, to borrow a gospel music phrase.

The song’s success convinced NBC to make Ford the host of a primetime variety program, “The Ford Show”, not named for Ernie, but instead for the show’s sponsor, Ford Motor Company. In an effort to make the show distinctive, and also reflect Ford’s upbringing and heritage, the singer insisted on closing the show each week with a hymn or inspirational song. This provoked a negative reactionat first from the network, for they feared controversy over expressing religious sentiment on a national TV show. But Ford was adamant, and the hymn segment not only remained, it became the most popular portion of the show. Viewers were warmed and inspired by Ford’s heartfelt renditions of songs most all of them knew from their own childhoods. They were further charmed by Ford’s straightforward, unpretentious personality.

Closing hymns was a tried and true tradition of country music shows, but for some reason, major network TV and radio networks tended to avoid or shy away from such overt expressions of faith by their performers. But Ford was a man who could never forget his Tennessee roots, or all the gospel sings he attended as a youngster. And he correctly sensed that most of his audience felt the same way, so millions of viewers looked forward to the show’s closing hymn each week, not only because they were inspired by it, but they also enjoyed Ford’s way with such songs.In 1956, Ford took the unusual step for a popular mainstream entertainer of releasing a complete LP of Christian songs. Titled simply “Hymns”, the album was an immediate best seller, staying on the Billboard Magazine Album Charts for an incredible 277 straight weeks! (That’s over five years!) It remains one of the biggest selling albums of all time, and was the very first record of Christian songs to achieve “Gold Record” status. The success of “Hymns” foreshadowed the direction of Ford’s recording career in subsequent years.

Ford took another unusual step at the end of the 1961 television season. Tiring of the routine involved in a weekly TV show, he decided to stop doing the “Ford Show”, opting instead to move his family to Northern California and host a local morning talk show for ABC, which he did from 1962 to 1965. This despite multiple offers from NBC to continue that show for a hefty raise in pay. Ford, though, didn’t care about nor need the money; the quality of life he would lead with his family washis utmost concern. So Ford turned his back on the glitz and glamour of primetimefame, and settled down into a lifestyle that he felt was right and proper for he and his family.

Ford kept making hits and records for Capitol…interesting albums like “This Lusty Land”, a collection of historical American songs. And still, amidst all that, he continued to make records of hymns and Christian songs, all of which were well received, and over time, he became known primarily for those recordings, and not so much his secular material from the past.

No album Ford made was more indicative of where his first musical love lay than “Great Gospel Songs”, a 1964 album he recorded with the Jordanaires and veteran gospel quartet pianist Boyce Hawkins. The album was the closest thing Ford made to a gospel music album…all 12 songs being southern gospel standards and done in a straightforward gospel quartet style. Ford even sang the bass parts when he wasn’t singing the melody lines. The album was another Ford million seller, but in addition, it earned Ford a Grammy for the Best Inspirational Recording of 1964. The album remains a gospel music classic o this day(I’m listening to it as I writethis portion of the article).

1965 saw Ford’s last top ten single, “Hicktown”…and the end of his daytime TV show, though he would continue to be a TV staple, appearing as a guest on many shows in subsequent years. And he continued to sing songs of faith and inspiration everywhere he appeared.

Ford remained solidly identified with gospel music…in 1978, he recorded another album with the Jordanaires for Word…and he hosted a pair of gospel music specials for PBS fund drives, called “The Great American Gospel Sound”, which featured Ford and a number of his singing friends performing gospel music, including the Jordanaires and the Happy Goodman Family. Those shows resembled the Gaither Homecoming videos of years later. As Ford predated the likes of Oprah Winfrey with his daytime talk show in 1962, he predated Gaither some twenty years later with his own specials.

Ford was also honored in other ways…he has been bestowed with three stars on Hollywood’s famous Walk of Fame. In 1984, he was given the highest honor awarded to an American civilian when he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then President Reagan, and in 1990, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Sadly though, Ford encountered liver problems in the 1980s which curtailed his activity. Those problems culminated when he fell ill at a State dinner at the White House hosted by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, and died after a
hospital stay on October 17, 1991...exactly 36 years after “Sixteen Tons” was first released, and just one day shy of the one-year anniversary of his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The Gospel Music Association belatedly rewarded Ford for his contributions to gospel music by posthumously inducting him into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1994.

“Tennessee” Ernie Ford will doubtless go down in history as one of the premier  American entertainers of the second half of the 20th Century…but for fans of gospel music, he will be remembered for insisting on closing his TV shows with hymns every week for years, and for taking hymns and gospel songs before more Americans than just about any other singer in any other genre. Ernest Jennings Ford had a song to sing, and he sang it loud and long…for his friends and family, and foreveryone. He’ll always be a pivotal figure in the history of gospel music in America, and the world.