Customer Reviews

Tennessee Ernie Ford: Masters 1949-1976

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
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It is a peculiar thing to be writing about a now long out-of-print CD set, but there are still copies of this to be had, and no other reviews at this site, so here goes.

First, my five-star rating is an automatic one, since no other collection of Ford's music containing more than half this amount of music currently exists. That said, it is certainly a good collection. In fact, given the superlatives in this set, one can hardly imagine why it was available for so short a time. The only explanation I can offer is that its distributor, EMI/Capitol, is widely known for the practice of issuing, then suddenly withdrawing lots of recordings.

There is a wide range of styles and moods in this set, amply demonstrating that Ernie Ford was a versatile and sophisticated performer. He appears to have ridden the cornpone circuit until 1955, when "Sixteen Tons" gave him his first Number One hit and Capitol's biggest selling record to date. Afterward, Ford successfully traversed multiple styles of music.

The "cornpone" comment above was not a derogatory one. Certainly, Ernie Ford spent the first phase of his career in the country vein, but he was a master and worked with some fabulous session musicians, so these recordings are not to be dismissed. After "Sixteen Tons", however, things became even more interesting. Highlights in this set (my personal ones, anyway) include "River of No Return", which raises goosebumps with ghostly session voices backing Ford's stoic but resigned baritone in a song of lost love. "Dark As a Dungeon" is another song about coal mining (sadly lesser-known than "Sixteen Tons")which could have been maudlin in another singer's care, but shines here courtesy of Ford's personality and sheer good will--not to mention that voice!

One more song I must mention is "Rainy Night in Georgia". Yes, Brook Benton had the big hit record here, and rightly so. But Ernie Ford's recording is arguably just as good. Ford doesn't seem to have been aiming at the Top Ten with this recording but, rather, straight for the heart. Bullseye!

I should note quickly that none of Ernie Ford's justly popular sacred/gospel recordings are here, but since they are widely available otherwise (via the Gaither organization, Curb records, et al.) this is not an issue.

The sound of these discs is quite good, and there is well-written and -illustrated book to read while you enjoy the music. There are but fifty tracks over the three discs when at least eighty would have comfortably fit but, as mentioned earlier, there simply isn't any competition for this set.

And finally, to answer "Music Fan", who wrote the only other entry here: Try Amazon Marketplace or ebay. Seriously, this one is worth your time and money, and no one knows if or when a better selection of Ernie Ford's music will be available.

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD * MASTERS 1949-1976

TENNESSEE ERNIE
Merle Travis guitar, Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Country Junction 21 JAN 49
Tennessee Border [#1] [accordion solo] 21 JAN 49
Milk `Em In The Mornin' Blues (Ernest Ford) 21 JAN 49
Smokey Mountain Boogie (Ford-Stone) fiddling 21 JUN 49
Put Your Arms Around Me 10 OCT 49
Anticipation Blues (Ford-Stone) 10 OCT 49

CLIFFIE STONE'S BAND, MERLE TRAVIS, EDDIE KIRK, TENNESSEE ERNIE
Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Blues Stay Away From Me [covered Delmore Bros. then current hit] 11 OCT 49

TENNESSEE ERNIE
Merle Travis guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Mule Train [covered Frankie Laine then current hit] 18 OCT 49
Cry Of The Wild Goose [covered Terry Gilkyson then current hit] 30 DEC 49

TENNESSEE ERNIE & KAY STARR
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own [Bryant trills] 28 JUN 50
I'll Never Be Free [pedal steel!] [song "Sittin'..."] 28 JUN 50

TENNESSEE ERNIE & THE STARLIGHTERS
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Bright Lights And Blonde Haired Women [accordion] 14 JUL 50
It's The Talk Of The Town [accordion] 14 JUL 50

CLIFFIE STONE AND HIS HOMETOWN JAMBOREE GANG
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Blue Canadian Rockies 27 JUL 50

TENNESEE ERNIE
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Shotgun Boogie (Ernest Ford) 27 JUL 50

TENNESSEE ERNIE WITH JOE "FINGERS" CARR AND THE CARRHOPS
Merle Travis guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Stack-O-Lee [traditional blues] [piano solo] 24 AUG 50

TENNESSEE ERNIE & TEX WILLIAMS
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
I'm A Bad Man 18 JAN 51
You Can Tell A Texan Ev'ry Time 18 JAN 51

TENNESSEE ERNIE & KAY STARR
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Ocean Of Tears 7 MAY 51
You're My Sugar [hot Bryant licks] 7 MAY 51

TENNESSEE ERNIE & THE DINNING SISTERS
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Streamlined Cannonball (Roy Acuff) [haunting] 14 AUG 51
Rock City Boogie 14 AUG 51

TENNESSEE ERNIE & HELEN O'CONNELL
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Cool, Cool Kisses (Ford-Martin) 17 SEP 51

TENNESSEE ERNIE & ELLA MAE MORSE
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
False Hearted Girl [slick Bryant licks] 9 JUL 52

TENNESSEE ERNIE
Jimmy Bryant guitar; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
Blackberry Boogie Ernest Ford 10 JUL 52
Tennessee Local 10 JUL 52
I Don't Know (Willie Mabon) 23 DEC 52

TENNESSEE ERNIE & BETTY HUTTON
Billy May: arranger, conductor; Speedy West pedal steel guitar
This Must Be The Place 3 MAR 54

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD
Billy May: arranger, conductor
River Of No Return [film theme] 22 APR 54

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD
Jack Fascinato: piano, arranger, conductor
Sixteen Tons (Merle Travis) 20 SEP 55
You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry 20 SEP 55

album THIS LUSTY LAND!
Jack Fascinato: piano & arranger
Nine Pound Hammer (Merle Travis) 22 NOV 55
Dark As A Dungeon (Merle Travis) 14 DEC 55
The Rovin' Gambler 5 JAN 56

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD
Jack Fascinato: arranger
That's All (Merle Travis) 6 FEB 56

album TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD INVITES YOU TO COME TO THE FAIR
Jack Fascinato directs a local band
Sixteen Tons [live] (Merle Travis) AUG 60
Tennessee Waltz [live] [covers the Patti Page hit] 1950 hit AUG 60

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD
Jack Fascinato: arranger
Work Song Nat (Adderley-Oscar Brown, Jr.) 2 JUL 62

album COUNTRY HITS...FEELIN' BLUE
Billy Strange, guitar; Jack Mosher, bass
Take Me Back And Try Me One More Time (Ernest Tubb) [covers Ernest Tubb 1946 hit] 26 FEB 64
I Don't Hurt Anymore [covers Hank Snow 1954 hit] 9 MAR 64
Sweet Dreams [covers Patsy Cline 1963 hit] 9 MAR 64

album WORLD OF POP & COUNTRY HITS
Jack Fascinato: arranger
Old Cape Cod [covers Patti Page 1957 hit] 25 JAN 68

album SONGS I LIKE TO SING
Jack Fascinato: arranger
It's All In The Game [covers Tommy Edwards 1958 hit] 9 DEC 68

track never released on a Capitol album credits unknown
Since You've Been Gone late `60s

album EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL
Jack Fascinato: arranger, conductor, piano
Rainy Night In Georgia (Tony Joe White) [covers Brooke Benton 1970 hit] 8 SEP 70

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD
Nashville credits
Printer's Alley Stars 5 JAN 73

album TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD WITH GLEN CAMPBELL GUITAR
Nashville credits
Trouble In Mind Richard (M. Jones) [much covered 1926 blues] 29 JAN 75
She Called Me Baby 29 JAN 75

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD
Nashville credits
I Been To Georgia On A Fast Train 21 JUN 76

album FOR THE 83rd TIME
Nashville credits
Ain't Goin' Down In The Ground Before My Time 15 AUG 76

i am a big fan of tennessee ernie and at the time am looking to buy the masters album by tennessee ernie and am having no luck