Born in Bristol, Tennessee, to Clarence Thomas Ford and Maud Long, Ford began his radio career as an announcer at station WOPI in Bristol, leaving in 1939 to study classical music and voice at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. 1st Lieut. Ford served in World War II as the bombardier on a B-29 Superfortress flying missions over Japan. After the war, Ford worked at radio stations in San Bernardino and Pasadena, Calif. In San Bernardino, hired as a radio announcer, Ernest J. Ford did the news and general announcing. He was assigned the job of hosting an early morning country music disc jockey programme titled "Bar Nothin' Ranch." To differentiate himself, he created the personality of "Tennessee Ernie," a wild, madcap exaggerated hillbilly. He became popular in the area and was soon hired away by Pasadena's KXLA radio.
At KXLA he continued doing the same show and also joined the cast of Cliffie Stone's popular live KXLA country show "Dinner Bell Roundup" as a vocalist while still doing the early morning broadcast. Stone, a part-time talent scout for Capitol Records, brought him to the attention of the label. In 1949, while still doing his morning show, he signed a contract with Capitol. He also became a local television star as the star of Stone's popular Southern California "Hometown Jamboree" television show. He released almost fifty country singles through the early 1950s, several of which made the charts. Many of his early records, including "The Shot Gun Boogie", "Blackberry Boogie", and so on were exciting, driving boogie-woogie records featuring exciting accompaniment by the Hometown Jamboree band which included Jimmy Bryant on lead guitar and pioneer pedal steel guitarist Speedy West. "I'll Never Be Free", a duet pairing Ford with Capitol Records pop singer Kay Starr, became a huge country and pop crossover hit in 1950.
Ford eventually ended his KXLA morning show and in the early 1950s, moved on from Hometown Jamboree. He took over from bandleader Kay Kyser as host of the television version of the NBC quiz show "College of Musical Knowledge" when it returned briefly in 1954 after a four-year break. He also portrayed the country bumpkin Cousin Ernie on I Love Lucy.
Ford scored an unexpected hit on the pop charts in 1955 with his rendition of Merle Travis' "Sixteen Tons", a sparsely arranged coal-miner's lament that Travis wrote in 1946, based on his own family's experience in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. With a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement by Ford's Musical Director, Jack Fascinato, "Sixteen Tons" spent ten weeks at number one on the country charts and eight weeks at number one on the pop charts, and made Ford a crossover star. It became Ford's signature song.
Ford subsequently helmed his own primetime variety programme, The Ford Show, which ran on NBC from 1956 to 1961. Ford's programme was notable for the inclusion of a religious song at the end of every show; Ford insisted on this despite objections from network officials who feared it might provoke controversy. It quickly became the most popular segment of the show. He earned the nickname "The Ol' Pea-Picker" becafter his catch-phrase, "Bless your pea-pickin' heart!"
In 1956 he released Hymns, his first gospel album, which remained on Billboard's "Top Album" charts for a remarkable 277 consecutive weeks; his album Great Gospel Songs won a Grammy Award in 1964. After the NBC show ended, Ford moved his family to Northern California and from 1962 to 1965, hosted a daytime talk show The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show from San Francisco, broadcast over the ABC TV network.
Over the years, Ford has been awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for radio, records, and television. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1984 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
Ford, who offstage contended with a serious alcohol problem that never affected his professional work, began suffering increasing liver problems in the 1980s that worsened in 1990, the year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He fell ill in 1991 after leaving a state dinner at the White House hosted by President George Bush, and died in a Virginia hospital on 17th October, exactly thirty-six years after "Sixteen Tons" was released and one day shy of the first anniversary of his induction into the Hall of Fame.
Ford was posthumously recognized for his gospel music contributions by being added to the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1994.
Rock City Boogie
Tennessee Ernie Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up in Chattanooga
Everybody's doin'
The Rock City Boogie
Now, you should take your baby
And I don't mean maybe
'Cause everybody's doin'
The Rock City Boogie now
It started with the Charleston
Then the Suzie Q
Along came the square dance
But brother, they're all through
So drivin' down that highway
Make sure you go my way
To Lookout Mountain
And Rock City Boogie with me
And if you take your baby by the hand
And head for Rock City, she'll understand
Tell Mama she's spendin' the night with a friend
'Cause she won't be home until dawn, boy
I'll meet you on the mountain
Up in Chattanooga
Everybody's doin'
The Rock City Boogie
So if you take your baby
Then she won't mean maybe
She'll keep on doin'
The Rock City Boogie with you
And if you take your baby by the hand
And head for Rock City, she'll understand
Tell Mama I'm spendin' the night with a friend
'Cause she won't be home until dawn, ah
I'll meet you on a mountain
Up in Chattanooga
Everybody's doin'
The Rock City Boogie
So if you take your baby
Then she won't mean maybe
She'll keep on doin'
The Rock City Boogie with you
I'm gonna take my baby by the hand
And head for Rock City, she'll understand
Headin' down the highway
No way but our way
Rock City Boogie with me
The lyrics of Tennessee Ernie Ford's song "Rock City Boogie" talk about a popular dance craze that's taking over Chattanooga. This dance, called the Rock City Boogie, involves various moves and steps that are easy enough for everyone to follow. The song suggests that this dance is the latest and greatest thing, superseding other popular dances like the Charleston, Suzie Q, and square dance. The lyrics also encourage listeners to take their partner and go to Lookout Mountain, where they can join the rest of the crowd in doing the Rock City Boogie.
The song conveys a sense of excitement and energy, with its upbeat rhythm and lively vocals. It captures the infectiousness of a social dance craze, where people come together to move their bodies and have a good time. Through its lyrics, Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Rock City Boogie" highlights the appeal of the dance as a fun, social activity that offers a break from everyday life. Moreover, it portrays dance as a means of communication and connection with others, bringing people together across different backgrounds and interests.
Line by Line Meaning
On top of Lookout Mountain
The location of Rock City Boogie in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Up in Chattanooga
The city where Rock City Boogie is taking place.
Everybody's doin'
The popular activity at the event.
The Rock City Boogie
The name of the dance being performed.
Now, you should take your baby
Advice to bring your partner to the dance.
And I don't mean maybe
A strong suggestion to not decline the invitation.
'Cause everybody's doin'
Reason for joining since everyone else is participating.
It started with the Charleston
A history of popular dances leading up to the Rock City Boogie.
Then the Suzie Q
An additional dance that preceded the current one.
Along came the square dance
Another dance that has fallen out of favor.
But brother, they're all through
Acknowledgment that those previous dances are not as popular anymore.
So drivin' down that highway
Instructions for getting to Rock City Boogie.
Make sure you go my way
A recommendation to follow his directions specifically.
To Lookout Mountain
The specific destination for Rock City Boogie is provided.
And Rock City Boogie with me
An invitation to dance together.
And if you take your baby by the hand
Further suggestion to bring your partner along.
And head for Rock City, she'll understand
Assurance that your partner will enjoy the dance.
Tell Mama she's spendin' the night with a friend
A possible excuse to stay out late dancing.
'Cause she won't be home until dawn, boy
A statement indicating the duration of the dance.
I'll meet you on the mountain
An offer to meet up and dance together at the event.
So if you take your baby
Encouragement to bring your partner with you.
Then she won't mean maybe
A guarantee that your partner will want to dance at Rock City Boogie.
She'll keep on doin'
Assurance that your partner will continue to dance.
The Rock City Boogie with you
An invitation to dance together at the event.
Headin' down the highway
Additional instructions for getting to the event.
No way but our way
Encouragement to follow his specific directions.
Rock City Boogie with me
An invitation to dance together at the event.
Contributed by Ethan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.