Tennessee Ernie Ford

Tennessee Ernie Ford (1919-1991) began his radio career as an announcer in Bristol, Tennessee. In 1939, he left the station to pursue classical music and voice at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Ohio. He served in World War II as a first lieutenant and bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress, flying missions over Japan. After the war, he worked at radio stations in California where he created the hillbilly personality of "Tennessee Ernie." He was also dubbed "The Ole Pea-Picker" due to his catch-phrase, "Bless your pea-pickin' heart!" which he coined during his disc jockey days in California.



A big break was a spot on the popular "I Love Lucy" television show as "Cousin Ernie," a county bumpkin as seen in this clip where Lucy "vamps" him...



...and another "I Love Lucy" clip where Ernie is caller for a square dance...



Eventually he got his own prime-time weekly television variety show, "The Ford Show," which was actually named for the sponsor, Ford Motor Company, not Ernie Ford, and he nearly lost the show with his stubborn insistence that he end every telecast with one Gospel song. NBC felt such an ending every week would alienate viewers, but Ernie never relented, the network finally gave in, and the rest is history -- the show was a hit for its five year run from 1956 to 1961. He often proudly mentioned to audiences that the weekly hymn generated more fan mail and support than any other segment on the show.

Perhaps his biggest country hit was "16 Tons" in 1956 which sold over 20 million copies:



In 1956 he released "Hymns", which remained on Billboard's "Top Album" charts for a remarkable 277 consecutive weeks. In 1964, he won a Grammy Award for his album "Great Gospel Songs."

Tennessee Ernie Ford became the Martha White spokesperson in 1970 and remained so for almost two decades. He performed in television and radio commercials, made guest appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, and performed private concerts for Martha White customers which helped expand distribution into new Southern markets.

Over the years, Ford was awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for radio, one for records, and one for television. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.

Offstage, both Ernie and his wife Betty fought serious alcohol problems. For years, he successfully worked unaffected by his intake of whiskey, but by the 1970s it had begun to take an increasing toll on his health and ability to sing. After Betty's substance abuse-related death in 1989, Ernie's worsening liver problems became more apparent. In 1990, following induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, he did a taped interview with his old friend Dinah Shore for her TV show. His physical deterioration by then was quite obvious. In October 1991, he fell into severe liver failure at Dulles Airport, shortly after leaving a state dinner at the White House hosted by then President George H. W. Bush and Ford died in the Reston Hospital Center in Virginia. Ernie received posthumous recognition for his gospel music contributions by induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1994.

One of Ford's last performances was in 1988 in honor of the Martha White Foods 40th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry sponsor. When Ford was introduced to the Grand Ole Opry audience by country legend and friend Roy Acuff, the crowd rose to its feet.



Here he sings"Peace in the Valley:"



Here's a short clip with Odetta and Ford singing "Take it to the Lord in Prayer"



And one of my favorites, "Precious Memories"...



Gordon MacRae joins him in "O Holy Night" from the 1958 Christmas episode from his TV show, in which Ernie takes the bass line, something he loved to do. In fact, many of his Gospel recordings are accompanied by choirs, and you can hear Ernie's voice join the bass section many times when he isn't singing the melody (as evidenced in the song "Precious Memories" above -- around 1:30 into the song.)