Table of Contents
Where did the song 16 tons come from?
“Sixteen Tons” is a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Travis first recorded the song at the Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood, California, on August 8, 1946. Cliffie Stone played bass on the recording.
Who wrote I owe my soul to the company store?
Merle Travis
Sixteen Tons/Lyricists
Why is it called 16 Tons?
According to Archie Green, author of Only A Miner: Studies in Recorded Coal-Mining Songs, the title refers to an old practice of initiating new miners by having them haul 16 tons, compared to the typical 8 to 10, on their first day.
What genre is the song Sixteen Tons?
Country
Sixteen Tons/Genres
Who wrote the song 16 tons and what do you get?
Who wrote the song Sixteen Tons?
Sixteen Tons/Composers
The first, written by Bob Merrill and Terry Shand, was “You Don’t Have To Be A Baby To Cry,” a #10 country hit in 1950 for Ernest Tubb that had also been associated with Ford’s friend Moon Mullican; and the second was “16 Tons,” a 1946 coal mining song composed by Ford’s friend and fellow Capitol label-mate Merle …
What year did Tennessee Ernie Ford Sings 16 tons?
1955
On September 17, 1955, Ford recorded “Sixteen Tons” as the B-side to the record’s A-side: “You Don’t Have to Be a Baby to Cry.”
Who wrote the song 16 tons?
Sixteen Tons/Lyricists
What year did Tennessee Ernie Ford record 16 tons?
On October 17, 1991, Tennessee Ernie Ford passed away, leaving behind a wide-ranging and hugely significant musical legacy. It was also on October 17, this time in 1955, that one of Ford’s most important and well-known songs was released: “Sixteen Tons.”
Who originally did 16 tons?
“Sixteen Tons,” the song popularized by Tennessee Ernie Ford, was originally written by Merle Travis. In 1947 Capitol Records encouraged Travis to write a series of songs that “sounded folky” for an album, one that would tap into the American folk music revival that was just starting to take off.
When did the platters release Sixteen Tons?
1960
Sixteen Tons/Released
What key is sixteen tons in?
E minor
Sixteen Tons/Keys
What was the original name of the song 16 tons?
Its title was “Sixteen Tons” and it was made popular by a singer named Tennessee Ernie Ford. The song had actually been written in the 1940s, its verse grown piecemeal from oft-heard phrases and the lives of miners dating to the 1930s.
Who wrote the song nine-to-ten tons?
George S. Davis, a folk singer and songwriter who had been a Kentucky coal miner, claimed on a 1966 recording for Folkways Records to have written the song as “Nine-to-ten tons” in the 1930s; he also at different times claimed to have written the song as “Twenty-One Tons”.
What year did Tennessee Ernie Ford record Sixteen Tons?
Cover sleeve for Capitol Records EP with 1955-56 hit song “Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Did Merle Travis record 16 tons with one guitar?
Although his version of “Sixteen Tons” — produced with a single guitar — did not become a hit, Merle Travis continued his music career, becoming one of the most highly regarded country guitarists in history. His “Sixteen Tons” would be made famous by Tennessee Ernie Ford.