On This Day in 1991, a Country Music Legend Died Exactly 36 Years After Releasing His Working-Class Anthem

On this day (October 17) in 1991, country singer Tennessee Ernie Ford died of liver disease in Reston, Virginia, at age 72. His passing came exactly 36 years to the day after he released his career-defining hit, “Sixteen Tons”, on October 17, 1955.

Several weeks earlier — on September 28, 1991 — Ford fell ill at Dulles International Airport, where he had planned to catch a flight home to Palo Alto, California, after attending a state dinner with then-President George W. Bush at the White House.

He was survived by his wife, Beverly; two sons, Jeffrey and Brian, and a stepdaughter, Stevie.

Today, we’re honoring his monumental legacy on the 35th anniversary of his passing.

Early Life

Born Ernest Jennings Ford on February 13, 1919, in Bristol, Tennessee, music was a major part of the future hitmaker and TV host’s life from an early age.

Growing up singing in school choirs and playing trombone in the school band, he would go on to make an indelible impact as the beloved entertainer “Tennessee Ernie” Ford.

He landed his first radio gig at a local station in 1937, earning $10 a week as an announcer.

After a year, he left the station to study classical music at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps. Serving as a first lieutenant during World War II, he was a bombing instructor at George Air Force Base in Victorville, California.

Becoming Tennessee Ernie Ford

Following his 1946 discharge from the Army, Ford relocated to San Bernadino, California, where he landed an announcer’s job at a Pasadena radio station.

This is where he began cultivating the beloved character of “Tennessee Ernie” Ford, a lovable hillbilly known for homespun catchphrases like “Bless your pea-pickin’ little heart…” and “Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rockin’ chairs.”

His popularity grew, eventually catching the ear of Cliffie Stone, a DJ and part-time talent scout for Capitol Records. Stone brought Ford aboard as a regular cast member on Los Angeles’ popular Hometown Jamboree country music television and radio shows.

A “Massive” Success

Officially signing with Capitol Records in the late 1940s, Tennessee Ernie Ford released almost 50 country singles throughout the early 1950s. He also hosted his own weekday TV program.

However, his musical breakout arrived in 1955 when he recorded his own version of “Sixteen Tons”. Merle Travis penned and originally recorded the track about the exploitation of coal miners in Rosewood, Kentucky.

You load sixteen tons, what do you get? / Another day older and deeper in debt / Saint Peter, don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go / I owe my soul to the company store

Notably, Ford’s famous finger-snapping was never part of the plan. He did this to set the tempo for arranger Jack Fascinato, and producer Lee Gillette forgot to edit it out of the master recording.

Between that special touch, and Ford’s warm, rich baritone, “Sixteen Tons” sold more than two million copies. It spent 10 weeks atop the U.S. country songs chart before crossing over to the pop chart, where it held the same position for eight weeks.

The success of “Sixteen Tons” led to the singer hosting his own NBC variety program, The Ford Show. He also made numerous guest appearances on I Love Lucy and other TV shows, remaining a small-screen fixture throughout the 1970s.

[RELATED: 4 Classic Country Songs That Always Give Me Instant Goosebumps]

On October 18, 1990, the Country Music Hall of Fame welcomed Tennessee Ernie Ford into its ranks.

Featured image by NBC via Getty Images