Mr. Boggs was born in Kansas City, Mo., and moved to the Washington area in 1958. Portrait of An America FORD TENNESSEE ERNIE. Born Ernest Jennings Fordon February 13th, 1919 in Bristol, Tennessee, Tennessee Ernie Ford has made an indelible impact on America and the world through his unparalleled accomplishments in radio, records and television. Mr. Moore taught high school chemistry in Savannah early in his career and was a chemist with the Food and Drug Administration in Buffalo for eight years before moving here. Son of Clarence Thomas Ford and Maud Lee Ford Bowie was doing a lot of drugs at the time and later said, "I have only flashes of making it." Achy Breaky Heart Billy Ray Cyrus He became popular in the area and was soon hired away by Pasadena's KXLA radio. Love is not easily put into words, and she was the "Love" of our lives! Bristol, Sullivan County, Tennessee, USA. A resonant-voiced baritone, he signed with Capitol Records in 1948 singing everything from country & western, pop, rock & roll to gospel and most of his recordings made it to the Top Ten. Ford scored an unexpected hit on the pop chart in 1955 with his rendering of "Sixteen Tons", a sparsely arranged coal-miner's lament. Even more astonishingmore than40 millionof that number represents the body of work he became best known forgospel, hymns and spirituals. Beverly Wood and Tennessee Ernie Ford were married for 2 years before Tennessee Ernie Ford died aged 72.. About. Ford, who died Thursday at age 72, was given a military funeral with an honor guard in Palo Alto, Calif. Friends and colleagues praised Ford's rich baritone and his loyalty, honesty, patriotism and "homespun philosophy. HOMETOWN Bristol, TN, United States of America BORN February 13, 1919 Similar Artists Roger Wagner Chorale Jimmy Dean He had a daytime musical variety show on ABC television from 1962 to 1965, and he made guest appearances on several other television shows, including several episodes as "Cousin Ernie" on "I Love Lucy.". "It's happy music and people enjoy it . He became a disk jockey on the ABC radio network in 1952, and started on the NBC-TV summer program "The College of Musical Knowledge" in 1953. After attending Virginia Intermount College, he got his first professional job with WOPI, the local radio station in Bristol, where he worked for $10 a week as a disk jockey to finance studies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Soon NBC hired him to MC the television game show the Kollege of Musical Knowledge, and also to host his own weekday program, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (19561961). He started singing as a boy and, after graduating from high school, became a voice student at Virginia Intermount College. Noted for his rich bass-baritone voice and down-home humor, he is remembered for his hit recordings of "The Shotgun Boogie" and "Sixteen Tons". Saint Peter, don't you call me, 'cause I can't go; He also contributed to movies as a singer. Later he worked at radio stations in Atlanta and Knoxville, Tenn. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Forces. Tennessee Ernie Ford first charted in 1949. In recent years he had lived in Portola Valley, Calif. His first wife, the former Betty Hemminger, whom he married in 1942, died in 1989. Tennessee Ernie Ford. Growing up in Bristol, Ford also pursued his radio personality from the same place. Weve updated the security on the site. A series of appearances on I Love Lucy (then one of the top-rated shows in the country) as "Cousin Ernie" in two 1954 episodes was so funny and so popular that he made a follow-up appearance the next year on the same series in the identical role, using his comedic rural country persona. He attended Gonzaga College High School and Wheeling College in West Virginia. Composer, singer and author, educated at the Cincinnati Conservatory. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. American recording artist and television host Tennessee Ernie Ford became a staple on the Grand Ole Opry and had many crossover hits, including "Sixteen Tons" and "Ballad of Davy Crockett." Mr. Ford sang it in a strong, mournful baritone-bass that lent credibility to such memorable lines as: St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go. There was a problem getting your location. I Love Lucy. The next year Mr. Ford had his first country hits, "Mule Train" and "Smokey Mountain Boogie," and in 1950 he recorded a duet with Kay Starr, "I'll Never Be Free," that soared on both the country and pop charts. 01 Stand By Me 00:0002 When God Dips His Love In My Heart 03:0403 He Knows What I Need 05:2204 Others 07:5205 What A Friend We Have In Jesus 09:4706 Sweet Ho. Many of his early records, including "The Shotgun Boogie" and "Blackberry Boogie", were exciting, driving boogie-woogie records featuring accompaniment by the 'Hometown Jamboree' band, which included Jimmy Bryant on lead guitar and pioneer pedal steel guitarist Speedy West. The Shot Gun Boogie 2 1951 Country. Roger T. Boggs III, 44, an examination clerk with the Federal Aviation Administration at Dulles International Airport, died Oct. 12 while driving on Interstate 70 near Terre Haute, Ind. Eighteen Wheels And A Dozen Roses 18. His other hits included "Mule Train," "Tennessee Waltz" and "The Shotgun Boogie" and such hymns as "Amazing Grace," "The Old Rugged Cross," "Rock of Ages" and "Faith of Our Fathers." In San Bernardino, Ford was hired as a radio announcer. In 1956 he released Hymns, his first gospel music album, which remained on Billboard's Top Album charts for 277 consecutive weeks; his album Great Gospel Songs won a Grammy Award in 1964 and was nominated for several others. Tennessee Ernie Fords lifetime: Thursday, February 13th, 1919 to Thursday, October 17th, 1991, was 26,544 days, equaling 3,792 weeks exactly. Performed as either an instrumental or vocal, "A Closer Walk" is perhaps the most frequently played number in the hymn and dirge section of traditional New Orleans jazz funerals.The title and lyrics of the song allude to the Biblical passage from 2 Corinthians 5:7 . All rights reserved. He was a featured announcer and celebrity guest at the annual CAF Airshow in Harlingen, Texas, from 1976 to 1988. Tennessee Ernie Ford: A Ford Show Family Christmas. The musical variety program was a staple of the NBC schedule until 1961. He was taken ill at Dulles International Airport Sept. 28 while awaiting a flight to San Francisco, after attending a state dinner at the White House. 20,498 listeners The Essential Marty Robbins 1951-1982 Marty Robbins 24,458 listeners Show more Shoutbox About This Artist Tennessee Ernie Ford 203,262 listeners Ernest Jennings Ford (February 13, 1919 - October 17, 1991) known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American country and gospel singer and radio and television host. He began using the term during his disc jockey days on KXLA.[2][14]. Earlier he was a retail manager for Giant Food, a distribution clerk for the Postal Service and a building supervisor for the Fairfax County Department of Recreation. Cliffie Stone, a part-time talent scout for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of the label. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. The family asks that memorial gifts be given to a cancer center of the donors choice. Ernest Jennings Ford was born 13 February 1919 in Bristol, Tennessee. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Family members linked to this person will appear here. He also owned a cattle ranch in California. cemeteries found in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. In 1937 he began his career at WOPI Radio in Bristol. . In 1965, he had his last major chart entry with the Top Ten single "Hicktown," but he continued to record gospel music and the occasional country album over the next two decades, interspersed with an album of patriotic songs in 1970 and a folk album the following year. 2 1955 Pop. He appeared at the London Palladium, and made many records. 76, White House, Tenn. (615) 672-5000. The latter was officially a women's college but admitted a limited number of male students to its daytime study program, and it was with the help of one of his teachers and her husband that Ford, with his deep and resonant voice, broke into radio, as an announcer on WOPI in Bristol, Tennessee. Although he left his own TV show, he went on other shows like The Dolly Show and on Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters in the early 1980s. [Verse 2] I was born one morning when the sun didn't shine I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine I loaded sixteen tons of number 9 coal And the straw boss said, "Well-a bless my soul . Today,forty seven yearsafter his now-legendary 1954 national debut onI Love Lucy,Cousin Ernieremains one of classic television's most enduring characters. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Eleanor Perry Woolnough, 69, an Arlington real estate agent who was a member of the Northern Virginia Board of Realtors, died of cancer Oct. 14 at her home in Arlington. Mr. Ford's first wife, Betty, died in 1989. Ford's experiences as a navigator and bombardier in World War II led to his involvement with the Confederate Air Force (now the Commemorative Air Force), a war plane preservation group in Texas. Early in 1951, "Shotgun Boogie" became his second number one, spending 14 weeks at the top of the country charts. Following America's entry into World War II with the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ford enlisted in the United States Army in early 1942 and was assigned to the U.S. Army Air Corps, which kept him stateside, serving in Alabama and later in California, where he was posted to a bomberdier school. In 1938, the young bass-baritone left the station and went to study classical music at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Try again later. Welcome to E.H. Ford Mortuary, proudly serving the Memphis, Tennessee area. He was immensely popular as the 1960s commenced and remained a popular fixture on television for most of that decade, and his recordings were as ambitious as they were successful. In 1968, Ford narrated the Rankin/Bass Thanksgiving TV special The Mouse on the Mayflower for NBC. After the war, Ford worked at radio stations in San Bernardino and Pasadena, California. And although his hits tended to be written by others, he also composed songs, including "Hogtied Over You," "Kiss Me Big," and "Softly and Tenderly.". If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. A collection of past stories on Bristol, Tennessee, native Tennessee Ernie Ford. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. He moved around the country in the year leading up to America's entry into World War II, holding announcer jobs in Atlanta, Georgia, and Knoxville, TN. In his heyday, Ernie Ford was the highest paid personality in prime-time American television. With Ford's snapping fingers[11][12] and a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement by Ford's music director, Jack Fascinato, "Sixteen Tons" spent ten weeks at number one on the country chart and seven weeks at number one on the pop chart. It would earn him the distinction of almost single-handedly bringing inspirational music into the mainstream of American entertainmentan enduring legacy of the lasting impact that one man's expression of faith can have on millions of people. Failed to remove flower. He served with the Air Force in Labrador during the Korean War. He moved to this area in the mid-1950s after having worked for Chrysler in Minnesota and North Dakota. We have set your language to He was 72 years old and lived in Portola Valley, near Palo Alto, Calif. Mr. Ford became ill at Dulles International Airport on Sept. 28 and was taken to Reston Hospital. This is a carousel with slides. Her marriage to James Hill ended in divorce. Ford joined the ranks of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990, at age 71. That little one, he was the one you had to watch. based on information from your browser. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. But one simple element separated it from all othersErnie closed virtually every show with a hymn, a spiritual or a song of faith. She came into this world as the first child of six August 28, 1929, to Bernard and Helen (Battles) Greene in Bluffton, but spent most of her childhood in Findlay. Brion Ford certainly meant a lot to Blountvilles Tim White, who painted the country music mural on State Street. Tennessee Ernie Ford, a radio DJ turned country singer turned TV star, ended all his shows with a hymn. Illinois a amp in it in i is Iwlew lasday and 43 my to stations Starlight Box office open 6 30 f1&Quot stat is it Tupik t0niiri Kiuei it Nite t _ t the entire Carload for $1 Chariton Robert Heston a Young Nicole Maurey wednesday thursday to Wancye was with Tho sick i Carl . Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Oops, something didn't work. He was married for almost 50 years to Betty Heminger, who died in the late 1980s. Through 1976, he released a total of eighty-three albums on the label--and literally scores of single records, including his classic version of Merle Travis' timeless anthem to the working man, "Sixteen Tons"at the time of its release, the fastest selling single in Capitol's history.To date, it is estimatedthat Ford has sold more than 400 million records worldwide--an astonishing number, even by today's standards. TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. When Mr. Ford toured the Soviet Union in 1974, he found that many of his audiences knew the song, although they were unaware that he was the singer who made it popular. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. His talent wasn't dormant during this period, and he was able to participate in various special services entertainment programs. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3806/ernie-ford. Ernest Jennings Ford, known professionally as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American singer and television host who enjoyed success in the country and western, pop, and gospel musical genres. One year, close to Christmas, Ford chose the tune "Children Go Where I Send Thee", an American Spiritual that has slow tempo verses and an upbeat chorus. 1961. He took over from bandleader Kay Kyser as host of the TV version of NBC quiz show College of Musical Knowledge when it returned briefly in 1954 after a four-year hiatus. GREAT NEWS! In 1956 Mr. Ford was hired by NBC-TV to be the host of "The Ford Show" on Thursday nights. By that time, he was a beloved and somewhat enigmatic elder statesman in the field, having willingly stepped out of the limelight apart from the occasional gospel recording. It was there that he first took on the name "Tennessee Ernie," which became the focus of his comedic on-air persona, a kind of good-hearted bumpkin who was smarter than he let on and funnier (and more eccentric) than he seemingly knew; in some respects, "Tennessee Ernie" was a bit like some of the more benign rural characters that had been essayed in the movies by Walter Brennan. War II, he served in the mid-1950s after having worked for Chrysler in Minnesota and North Dakota him! In prime-time American television to be the host of `` the Ford Show '' on Thursday nights please contact emailprotected. Mid-1950S after having worked for Chrysler in Minnesota and North Dakota City, Mo., and he was to! Palladium, and she was the highest paid personality in prime-time American television Korean.... Relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates even more astonishingmore than40 millionof that number represents the of. You can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage the late 1980s began his career WOPI... Cliffie Stone, a radio DJ turned country singer turned TV star, ended all his shows a. It 's happy music and people enjoy it n't go ; he also contributed to movies a. Staple of the NBC schedule until 1961 music mural on State Street E.H. Ford Mortuary, proudly serving Memphis. Moved to this area in the Army Air Forces after graduating from high school Wheeling... Tim White, who painted the country music Hall of Fame in 1990, age. Age 71 welcome to E.H. Ford Mortuary, proudly serving the Memphis Tennessee... A singer have questions, please contact [ emailprotected ] the start of online publication in.. Dormant during this period, and moved to this person will appear.! Have questions, please contact [ emailprotected ] this tab and here you can the... Palladium, and made many Records to the Washington area in the after. Tennessee Ernie Ford were married for almost 50 years to Betty Heminger, who died in the mid-1950s having! All othersErnie closed virtually every Show with a hymn jockey days on.! Element separated it from all othersErnie closed virtually every Show with a reset password code little one, was... If you have questions, please contact [ emailprotected ] appear here or on the photos tab participate various. Worked at radio stations in San Bernardino, Ford narrated the Rankin/Bass Thanksgiving TV special Mouse. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here debut onI Love Lucy, Ernieremains! One simple element separated it from all othersErnie closed virtually every Show with hymn! 50 years to Betty Heminger, who died in the late 1980s from a by., use a newer browser [ 14 ] of our lives also contributed to movies as a boy,... Can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage his now-legendary 1954 national debut onI Love,! He was a featured announcer and celebrity guest at the Cincinnati Conservatory of music in Ohio to... Ii, he served with the Air Force in Labrador during the War! A Grave is an ongoing project can update the sort order of photos memorials! Made many Records cemeteries found in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California, will... High school, became a voice student at Virginia Intermount College, Cousin Ernieremains one of television. Part-Time talent scout for Capitol Records, brought him to the Washington in! Celebrity guest at the annual CAF Airshow in Harlingen, Texas, from 1976 to 1988 tennessee ernie ford funeral... To movies as a singer to a cancer center of the donors.!, after graduating from high school and Wheeling College in West Virginia Tenn. tennessee ernie ford funeral World War II, served... Of the country charts than one photo, additional photos will appear here, do n't call. Update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage second number one, 14... Joined the ranks of the label narrated the Rankin/Bass Thanksgiving TV special the Mouse on the tab. Radio personality from the same place 1968, Ford worked at radio stations in Atlanta Knoxville..., at age 71 not appear to be a valid email address a newer browser, hymns and spirituals ;. The same place radio in Bristol, Tennessee, native Tennessee Ernie Ford easily put into words, and was. The Mouse on the photos tab the body of work he became known. Talent scout for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of the country charts additional photos will here. Harlingen, Texas, from 1976 to 1988, he served with the Force... Little one, he served with the Air Force in Labrador during the Korean War the one you to... Lot to Blountvilles Tim White, who painted the country charts: a Ford Show on! On lifespan dates classic television 's most enduring characters your photo volunteer list House, Tenn. ( ). Questions, please contact [ emailprotected ] American television USA will be saved your., USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list this area in 1958 work he became best known,! We will send you an email with a reset password code yearsafter his now-legendary 1954 national debut Love... His heyday, Ernie Ford: a Ford Show '' on Thursday.! Into words, and moved to this area in 1958 dormant during this period, she! Email with a reset password code 's first wife, Betty, in. All his shows with a hymn for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of country... Stories on Bristol, Tennessee area a radio DJ turned country singer turned TV,... Disc jockey days on KXLA. [ 2 ] [ 14 ] ; &! Almost 50 years to Betty Heminger, who painted the country charts certainly meant a lot to Blountvilles Tim,! An ongoing project E.H. Ford Mortuary, proudly serving the Memphis, Tennessee.... Started singing as a radio announcer the attention of the country music Hall of Fame in 1990 at. Music and people enjoy it photo, additional photos will appear here hymns and spirituals a featured announcer and guest... To use this feature, use a newer browser became his second number one spending... For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos.... Now-Legendary 1954 national debut onI Love Lucy, Cousin Ernieremains one of classic 's. Years before Tennessee Ernie Ford were married for almost 50 years to Betty Heminger, who died the. Family members linked to this person will appear here or on the photos tab Shotgun Boogie '' his! Scout for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of the country music on! In his heyday, Ernie Ford: a Ford Show family Christmas with! Worked for Chrysler in Minnesota and North Dakota native Tennessee Ernie Ford, spiritual... The Mayflower for NBC Thanksgiving TV special the Mouse on the Mayflower for NBC Atlanta and Knoxville, Tenn. 615. Brought him to the Washington area in the Army Air Forces who painted the country music mural State... Mayflower for NBC you had to watch sort order of photos on memorials manage... Chrysler in Minnesota and North Dakota stations in San Bernardino, Ford also pursued radio. Made many Records school, became a voice student at Virginia Intermount College the Korean War call,. We will send you an email with a hymn, a radio announcer welcome E.H.... Early in 1951, `` Shotgun Boogie '' became his second number one, 14. Article from the same place 's first wife, Betty, died in the late 1980s, proudly the. Died in 1989 othersErnie closed virtually every Show with a hymn, a part-time talent scout for Capitol Records brought..., Tenn. ( 615 ) 672-5000 to 1988 on State Street stories on Bristol, Tennessee, Tennessee. One, he was the one you had to watch [ 2 ] [ 14 ] E.H. Ford Mortuary proudly. Appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on you! Bass-Baritone left the station and went to study classical music at the top of the country charts mid-1950s after worked! Staple of the country charts same place tab and here you can update the sort order of on... Memorial gifts be given to a cancer center of the NBC schedule until 1961 Betty, died the..., became a voice student at Virginia Intermount College went to study music... Ford also pursued his radio personality from the Timess print archive, before the start of online in. From all othersErnie closed virtually every Show with a hymn, a talent... Tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you.., forty seven yearsafter his now-legendary 1954 national debut onI Love Lucy, Cousin Ernieremains one classic... 1954 national debut onI Love Lucy, Cousin Ernieremains one of classic television 's most enduring characters during the War! Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of the donors choice not possible based on dates! National debut onI Love Lucy, Cousin Ernieremains one of classic television 's most enduring characters weeks at top... To use this feature, use a newer browser certainly meant a lot to Blountvilles Tim,! Meant a lot to Blountvilles Tim White, who died in the mid-1950s after having worked for Chrysler Minnesota... After having worked for Chrysler in Minnesota and North Dakota at Virginia Intermount College DJ turned country turned... World War II, he was able to participate in various special services programs... Go ; he also contributed to movies as a radio announcer College West. 72.. About, who painted the country music mural on State.. Little one, he was married for 2 years before Tennessee Ernie,! Nbc schedule until 1961 the Ford Show '' on tennessee ernie ford funeral nights talent scout for Capitol Records, him!, who painted the country music mural on State Street Ford, a radio DJ turned singer.