American country/Western singer-songwriter and musician
Merle Travis
Merle Travis in Five Minutes to Live (1961)
Background information
Birth name
Merle Robert Travis
Born
(1917-11-29)November 29, 1917 Rosewood, Kentucky, U.S.
Died
October 20, 1983(1983-10-20) (aged 65) Tahlequah, Oklahoma, U.S.
Genres
Country, Western swing, blues, folk, gospel, Americana
Occupation(s)
Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)
Guitar
Years active
1936–1983
Labels
King, Capitol, CMH
Musical artist
Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States.[1] His songs' lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic exploitation of American coal miners. Among his many well-known songs and recordings are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues", "I am a Pilgrim" and "Dark as a Dungeon". However, it is his unique guitar style, still called "Travis picking" by guitarists, as well as his interpretations of the rich musical traditions of his native Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, for which he is best known today. Travis picking is a syncopated style of guitar fingerpicking rooted in ragtime music in which alternating chords and bass notes are plucked by the thumb while melodies are simultaneously plucked by the index finger. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1977.[1]
^ abColin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 1189. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
Hall of Fame in 1977. MerleTravis was born and raised in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, a place which would inspire many of Travis' original songs. (This...
Tons" is a song written by MerleTravis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Travis first recorded the song at...
Georgia) he heard MerleTravis picking over WLW radio. This early influence dramatically shaped his unique playing style. Whereas Travis used his index finger...
Jimmy Wakely Presents: MerleTravis the Guitar Player is an LP album by MerleTravis and Jimmy Wakely from 1976 on the Shasta label. The songs were recorded...
age of 73. Reed was a heavy smoker for many years. Thom Bresh, son of MerleTravis and a close friend of Reed's, produced a 1990s video with Reed acting...
artists as Mother Maybelle Carter, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Doc Watson, MerleTravis, and Jimmy Martin. A follow-up album based on the same concept, Will...
This often occurs during the break. Travis picking derives its name from MerleTravis. The foundation of Travis picking revolves around the combination...
Minutes to Go". Cash also included other songs of despair, such as the MerleTravis song "Dark as a Dungeon". Following "Orange Blossom Special", Cash included...
"Dark as a Dungeon" is a song written by singer-songwriter MerleTravis. It is a lament about the danger and drudgery of being a coal miner in a shaft...
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale...
original bassist Bruce Moreland. It includes their cover version of MerleTravis' "Dark as a Dungeon". The track "Far Side of Crazy" is featured in the...
arrangement that were composed by MerleTravis. Atkins also previously recorded "I'll See You in My Dreams" on an album with Travis. The track "There'll Be Some...
Geoff and Maria Muldaur, the Tony Rice Unit, Marty Stuart, MerleTravis, Doc Watson, Doc and Merle Watson Additional song with this title written and recorded...
Shamblin Western Swing, Country Ricky Skaggs Hank Snow Country MerleTravis Country Travis Tritt Country Keith Urban Steve Wariner Doc Watson Bluegrass...
Rivers, and then built a solid body electric guitar conceptualized by MerleTravis which would possess comparable level of sustain as a steel guitar. This...
"Wildwood Flower" played on a guitalin Finger picking style Problems playing this file? See media help. "Wildwood Flower" (or "The Wildwood Flower") is...
Orchestra, The Country All-Stars, The Nashville String Band, Jerry Reed, MerleTravis, Doc Watson, Lenny Breau, Les Paul, Mark Knopfler, Suzy Bogguss, Floyd...
Fly-Rite Boys, and the Hot Club of Cowtown. According to country singer MerleTravis, "Western swing is nothing more than a group of talented country boys...
Global Information