Sixteen Tons

Tennessee Ernie Ford

I wonder if any of our friends here at Word & Song have a cousin Ernie? My husband and I grew up with literally dozens of cousins, with not an Ernie in the bunch. But back in the 1950’s everyone had a cousin Ernie: one Ernest Jennings Ford, otherwise known as “Tennessee Ernie.” Ernie Ford was a true crossover entertainer, known for his work in radio, television, and music — country, gospel, and popular. As it turns out, there was a lot more to Cousin Ernie than his corn-pone radio and television persona would lead us to think. After high school, Ford attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where he studied classical voice, before turning his considerable vocal talent and personality to show business. He was a patriot who served as an officer in the US Army Air Corps during WW II as a bombardier deployed in Japan. Although he never worked in the mines, Ernie grew up in a coal-mining part of Tennessee and certainly knew stories of many hard-working miners. It was no wonde…