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.
Shot-Gun Boogie
Tennessee Ernie Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I looked out the winder and over the gate
The big fat rabbits are jumpin' in the grass
Wait 'till they hear my old shotgun blast
Shotgun boogie, I done saw your track
Look out Mr. Rabbit when I cock my hammer back
Hickory nuts so big you can see'em in the dark
The big fat squirrels, they scratch and they fight
I'll be on that ridge before daylight
With a shotgun boogie, all I need is one shot
Look out bushy-tails, tonight you'll be in the pot
Well, I met a pretty gal, she was tall and thin
I asked her what she had, she said a Fox four-ten
I looked her up and down, said boy this is love
So we headed for the brush to shoot a big fat dove
Shotgun boogie, boy the feathers flew
Look out Mr. Dove when she draws a bead on you
I sat down on a log, took her on my lap
She said wait a minute bud, you got to see my pap
He's gotta sixteen gauge choked down like a rifle
He don't like a man that's gonna trifle
Shotgun boogie, draws a bead so fine
Look out big boy, he's loaded all the time
Well, I called on her pap like a gentleman oughter
He said no brush hunter's gonna get my daughter
He cocked back the hammer right on the spot
When the gun went off I outrun the shot
Shotgun boogie, I wanted weddin' bells
I'll be back little gal, when your pappy runs out of shells
The song "Shotgun Boogie" by Tennessee Ernie Ford is a classic country song that tells the story of a hunter with his shotgun, ready to hunt rabbits, squirrels, and doves. The song begins by describing the shotgun in the corner of the room and the hunter looking out the window and over the gate, ready to catch some rabbits. As the song progresses, it introduces new characters such as a tall and thin girl and her father who has a shotgun that is "choked down like a rifle." The song ends with the singer running away from the father as he fires his gun.
The song's use of imagery is central to its story-telling. The depiction of the rabbits jumping in the grass and the fat squirrels fighting on the ridge creates a vivid picture of a hunting scene. The repetition of the phrase "shotgun boogie" adds to the sense of excitement and anticipation as the singer readies himself for the hunt. The song's mention of a girl introduces an element of romance and humor, as the singer's fear of her father's gun reveals the potential danger of a shotgun.
Line by Line Meaning
There it stands in the corner with the barrel so straight
My trusty shotgun is standing erect in the corner of the room, ready to be used.
I looked out the winder and over the gate
By looking outside through the window, I saw the gate and the surrounding terrain.
The big fat rabbits are jumpin' in the grass
I can see rabbits frolicking in the lush greenery.
Wait 'till they hear my old shotgun blast
I'm going to wait until the right moment to use my shotgun to surprise the fat rabbits.
Shotgun boogie, I done saw your track
I'm ready to use my shotgun and I have already observed the tracks of my prey.
Look out Mr. Rabbit when I cock my hammer back
The rabbits should be wary when they hear the sound of my shotgun being armed.
Well, over on the ridge is a scaly bark
On the nearby ridgeline, there is a tree with scaly bark.
Hickory nuts so big you can see'em in the dark
The hickory nuts are so large that they can be seen in the dark.
The big fat squirrels, they scratch and they fight
Squirrels in the area are large and aggressive, often battling each other for resources.
I'll be on that ridge before daylight
I plan to climb the ridge early in the morning to hunt the squirrels and collect the nuts.
With a shotgun boogie, all I need is one shot
I have great confidence in my shotgun and believe that one shot is all I need to get my prey.
Look out bushy-tails, tonight you'll be in the pot
The squirrels should beware, as they will soon be made into a delicious meal.
Well, I met a pretty gal, she was tall and thin
I encountered a lovely lady who was tall and slender in build.
I asked her what she had, she said a Fox four-ten
I inquired about her weapon of choice and found out that she had a Fox four-ten shotgun.
I looked her up and down, said boy this is love
I was attracted to her and knew that I was in love with her.
So we headed for the brush to shoot a big fat dove
Together, we went into the underbrush to hunt a plump dove.
Shotgun boogie, boy the feathers flew
With the use of our shotguns, the dove's feathers were sent flying everywhere.
Look out Mr. Dove when she draws a bead on you
The dove should be careful when she aims her shotgun at it.
I sat down on a log, took her on my lap
I sat down on a log and invited her to sit on my lap.
She said wait a minute bud, you got to see my pap
She asked me to hold on because she wanted me to meet her father.
He's gotta sixteen gauge choked down like a rifle
Her father's shotgun is a sixteen-gauge model that he has modified to function like a rifle.
He don't like a man that's gonna trifle
Her father is not fond of men who do not take hunting seriously.
Shotgun boogie, draws a bead so fine
Her father's shotgun is very precise and accurate when aimed at a target.
Look out big boy, he's loaded all the time
I should be aware that her father is always prepared and armed with his loaded shotgun.
Well, I called on her pap like a gentleman oughter
I went to visit her father to show him respect as a proper gentleman would.
He said no brush hunter's gonna get my daughter
Her father strictly forbids any men who are only interested in hunting his daughter as prey.
He cocked back the hammer right on the spot
Her father charged his shotgun, ready to fire, as I talked to him.
When the gun went off I outrun the shot
Her father fired his shotgun, but I was able to run faster than his shot and escape.
Shotgun boogie, I wanted weddin' bells
I was looking forward to marrying the daughter, but was unable to do so because of her father's actions.
I'll be back little gal, when your pappy runs out of shells
I told the daughter that I would come back to see her when her father had no more ammunition for his shotgun.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hades1274
I searched this up my dad sung along every word and said “That is my favorite part of the internet I can find stuff that I had as a kid”
@eamontrolleybus1289
Et ignotas animum dimmitus in artes..
.'
@eamontrolleybus1289
...again..
@johnpatterson4816
@@eamontrolleybus1289 Huh??
@eamontrolleybus1289
@@johnpatterson4816 god bless..you and the ilk
@jakew37
Ain't that the truth
@wasguards
Tenerssee Ernie was the "Elvis" of the early 50s. We loved him!
@steven_6055
William Alan Shutt they just don’t make Music like this anymore
@HunkMine
don't forget Chuck Berry too
@PugnaciousProductions
@@mrcrazzymeme1454 Elvis didn’t start his rock n roll stuff until the early 60s