A Collection of musings on music, life, and the world as we know it by someone who shouldn't know better.
What do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt...
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Well, first off, points on the name. “Tennessee” Ernie Ford was one of the most popular “celebri-singers” of the 40’s and 50’s, more known for his persona than his style (you listening, Paris and Hilary?) From radio shows to TV, Ford coined the hokum caricature that entertained country and pop audiences durng the black-and-white era. Surprisingly for a long-running artist whose material has been mostly on one label, he hasn’t been anthologized as much, though that may be due to his “kitsch” factor. RCA’s Vintage Collection attempts to accomplish this on a single disc, and for the most part succeeds in giving a briefbut incomplete glimpse into Ford’s work. At twenty tracks, the set is high on content, with a good representation of his down-home comic songs like “Milk ‘Em In The Mornin’ Blues” (which somehow seems to end with him loving his cow?), “Anticipation Blues” (on the rollercoaster ride of near-fatherhood), and “Shotgun Boogie” (about a love of a lady who guns). There’s some classic “railroad” and hillbilly work, like the party-time “Country Junction”, the spooky “Mule Train”, the dated “Streamlined Cannonball”, and the cornpone “Hey Mr. Cotton Picker”. And of course, there’s his best-known hit, “Sixteen Tons”, which works due to its sparse accompaniment and eerie echo while his bouncy voice belies its darker lyrics. I can’t imagine Ernie hurting a fly, let alone killing a man. Other nuggets include the cute “I Ain’t Gonna Let It Happen No More”, and his duets with Kay Starr like “You’re My Sugar” and Helen O’Connell on “Hey Good Lookin’”. Towards the end of the CD it become disjointed, with toss-offs like “Kiss Me Big” and “Hicktown”, while ignoring Ford’s big hits of the period, most notably “Davy Crockett”, are missing. You can find those on his 2-disc set or his Bear Family collection, though Vintage Collection is easier to find, and is a good listen, though don’t expect a totally complete collection of hits.
Grade: B- Best Cuts: “Mule Train”, “You’re My Sugar” Weakest Links: “Kiss Me Big”, “First Born”, “Hicktown”
"Country Junction" hit #14 country singles. "Smoky Mountain Boogie" hit #8 country. "Anticipation Blues" made #3 country. "Mule Train" made #1 country for 4 weeks and #9 pop. "Cry Of The Wild Goose" hit #2 country and #15 pop. "I'll Never Be Free" hit #2 country and #3 pop. "Shot Gun Boogie" made #1 country for 14 weeks and #14 pop. "Hey Mr. Cottonpicker" made #8 country. "Sixteen Tons" hit #1 country for 10 weeks, #1 pop for 5 weeks, and #1 in the UK. "First Born" hit #46 pop. "Hicktown" made #9 country.
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