Sunday Morning Country Classic Spotlight to Feature Tennessee Ernie Ford

I invite you to join me on this first Sunday in December, the 6th, at 11 am for the Sunday Morning Country Classic Spotlight when we feature Tennessee Ernie Ford.  You can find us at 98.1 FM Minnesota's New Country, online and on your mobile device. 

Tennessee Ernie Ford had a very resonant baritone voice and a master of Corn Ball Comedy.  He rose to popularity during the 1950's and 60's, best remembered for his smash 1955 cover of Merl Travis' Sixteen Tons.

Ford worked in radio in the early 1950's and then moved onto television, hosting quiz shows, variety shows and making appearances on I Love Lucy.

Off stage he and his wife Betty dealt with serious alcohol problems.  His drinking worsened in the 1960's, taking a toll on his health, though he still worked continuously unaffected by his issues with alcohol.

He was married to Betty Heminger from 1942 until her death in 1989 from substance abuse. They had two children, Jeffery and Brion, who eventually passed away in 2008 from lung cancer.

Less than four months after Betty's death, he remarried.  Tennessee Ernie Ford passed away on October 17, 1991 from liver failure.  His second wife, Beverly, died ten years later in 2001.

Some people say a man is made outta mud, a poor man's made outta muscle and blood, muscle and blood and skin and bones.

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