Merle Travis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Merle Travis
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Merle Travis in Five Minutes to Live (1961)
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Merle Robert Travis |
| Born | November 29, 1917 Rosewood, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | October 20, 1983 (aged 65) Tahlequah, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Genres | Country, Western swing, blues, folk, gospel, Americana |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1936–1983 |
| Labels | King, Capitol, CMH |
Merle Robert Travis (born November 29, 1917 – died October 20, 1983) was an American country singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States. His songs often told stories about the lives of coal miners. Some of his most famous songs include "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues", "I am a Pilgrim", and "Dark as a Dungeon".
Merle Travis is best known for his special way of playing the guitar, which is still called "Travis picking". This style uses the thumb to play bass notes and the fingers to play melodies at the same time. He was honored for his music, joining the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1977.
Contents
About Merle Travis
Early Life and Musical Journey
Merle Travis grew up in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, a place that inspired many of his songs. This area was known for its coal mines. He became interested in the guitar very early on and even played one made by his brother. He saved his money to buy his first real guitar.
Merle's unique guitar playing style came from a tradition of fingerpicking in western Kentucky. An early master of this style was a blues guitarist named Arnold Shultz. Shultz taught his style to other local musicians, who then passed it on. This included Mose Rager and Ike Everly, who was the father of The Everly Brothers. Their method used the thumb and index finger to play lead melodies and rhythmic bass patterns at the same time. This technique greatly inspired young Merle Travis.
When he was 18, Merle played "Tiger Rag" on a local radio show in Evansville, Indiana. This led to him getting offers to play with local bands. In 1937, he joined a band called Clayton McMichen's Georgia Wildcats. Later, he joined the Drifting Pioneers, a gospel group that moved to WLW radio in Cincinnati. WLW was a big country music station.
Merle's guitar playing amazed everyone at WLW. He became a popular part of their radio show, the "Boone County Jamboree," which started in 1938. He often worked with other musicians like Grandpa Jones, the Delmore Brothers, and Hank Penny.
The Sheppard Brothers and Brown's Ferry Four
In 1943, Merle and Grandpa Jones recorded for a new record label called King Records. Because WLW radio did not allow their musicians to record, Travis and Jones used a secret name: The Sheppard Brothers. Their song "You'll Be Lonesome Too" was the first song ever released by King Records.
During World War II, Merle joined the U.S. Marine Corps for a short time. After returning to Cincinnati, he, Grandpa Jones, and the Delmore Brothers formed a gospel group called The Brown's Ferry Four. They sang traditional gospel songs and became one of the most popular country gospel groups of that time. They recorded many songs for King Records.
Merle also appeared in "soundies," which were like early music videos shown in visual jukeboxes. He performed in "Night Train To Memphis" and "Why'd I Fall For Abner." Later, he made short music videos called "Snader Telescriptions" for local TV stations.
Rise to Fame
Merle Travis performed in stage shows and had small singing roles in several Western movies. In 1946, he signed with Capitol Records in Hollywood. His early hit songs like "Cincinnati Lou," "No Vacancy," "Divorce Me C.O.D.," and "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed" made him famous across the country.
Merle also designed a special electric guitar that was built by Paul Bigsby. This guitar is believed to have inspired his friend Leo Fender to create the famous Telecaster guitar. Merle's guitar is now in the Music Hall of Fame Museum.
In 1946, Merle was asked to record an album of folk songs. He included traditional songs and some new ones about his family's experiences working in the coal mines. This album, called Folk Songs of the Hills, featured Merle playing only his guitar. It included his two most famous songs about coal miners: "Sixteen Tons" and "Dark as a Dungeon".
"Sixteen Tons" became a number one hit for Tennessee Ernie Ford in 1955. "Dark As A Dungeon" became a popular folk song during the 1960s American folk music revival. Many artists, including Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, have covered this song.
Later Career and Influence
Merle Travis was a popular radio performer throughout the 1940s and 1950s. He also appeared on many country music TV shows. He even co-hosted a show called "Merle Travis and Company" with his wife, Judy Hayden.
His career got a boost in the late 1950s and early 1960s during the folk music revival. He performed at clubs, folk festivals, and even at Carnegie Hall. In the mid-1960s, he moved to Nashville and joined the famous Grand Ole Opry. He became good friends with Johnny Cash during this time.
Merle Travis is known as one of the most important American guitarists of the 20th century. His unique guitar style inspired many guitarists who came after him, especially Chet Atkins. Other guitarists influenced by Travis include Scotty Moore and Lonnie Mack. Merle's son, Thom Bresh, continued to play in his father's style.
Merle's style mixed elements from ragtime, blues, boogie, jazz, and Western swing. He could quickly change from finger-picking to flatpicking by holding his thumbpick differently. When he played, his guitar sounded like a whole band. As his son Thom Bresh said, "it sounded like a whole bunch of instruments coming from one guitar."
In the 1970s, Merle's career picked up again. He appeared on many country music TV shows like The Porter Wagoner Show and The Johnny Cash Show. His performances on the 1972 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken introduced him to a new generation of fans. In 1974, his album of duets with Chet Atkins, The Atkins - Travis Traveling Show, won a Grammy Award.
Merle Travis passed away from a heart attack in 1983 at his home in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. His ashes were scattered near a memorial built for him in Drakesboro, Kentucky.
Legacy
Merle Travis's music continues to be released and celebrated. A live concert album from 1959 was released in 1993, showing his amazing singing and guitar skills. A big collection of his work, called Guitar Rags and a Too Fast Past, was released in 1994. It included many songs that had never been heard before. Several DVDs have also been released, showing his music videos and TV appearances. His performances were included in the PBS documentary American Roots Music in 2001.
Images for kids
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Merle Travis in Five Minutes to Live (1961)
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Merle Travis and his Gibson Super 400 at the Country Music Hall of Fame
See also
In Spanish: Merle Travis para niños
