Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984),[1] nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music.[2]
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb
The Texas Troubadour
February 9, 1914
Crisp, Texas, U.S.
September 6, 1984 (aged 70)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Singer-songwriter, bandleader
Vocals, guitar
1936–1982
Bluebird, Decca, First Generation
In 1948, he was the first singer to record a hit version of Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson's "Blue Christmas", a song more commonly associated with Elvis Presley and his late-1950s version. Another well-known Tubb hit was "Waltz Across Texas" (1965) (written by his nephew Quanah Talmadge Tubb, known professionally as Billy Talmadge),[3] which became one of his most requested songs and is often used in dance halls throughout Texas during waltz lessons. Tubb recorded duets with the then up-and-coming Loretta Lynn in the early 1960s, including their hit "Sweet Thang". Tubb is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Biography[edit]
Early years[edit]
The youngest of five children, Tubb was born on a cotton farm near Crisp, in Ellis County, Texas, United States.[1] His father was a sharecropper and Tubb spent his youth working on farms throughout the state.[1] Tubb's earliest immigrant ancestor was Edward Tubb, who arrived in Virginia from Northamptonshire, England in 1701.[4]
He was inspired by Jimmie Rodgers and spent his spare time learning to sing, yodel, and play the guitar.[1] At age 19, he took a job as a singer on San Antonio radio station KONO-AM. The pay was low and Tubb also dug ditches for the Works Progress Administration. He went on to be a clerk at a drug store.
In 1939, he moved to San Angelo, Texas and was hired to do a 15-minute afternoon live show on radio station KGKL-AM. He drove a beer delivery truck to support himself during this time, and during World War II he wrote and recorded a song titled "Swell San Angelo".[5]
Recording career[edit]
In 1936, Tubb contacted Jimmie Rodgers' widow (Rodgers died in 1933) to ask for an autographed photo.[1] A friendship developed and she was instrumental in getting Tubb a recording contract with RCA.[1] His first two records were unsuccessful.[1] A tonsillectomy in 1939 affected his singing style, so he turned to songwriting. In 1940, he switched to Decca Records to try singing again,[1] and his sixth Decca release with the single "Walking the Floor Over You" brought Tubb to stardom.[2] It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc in 1965 by the Recording Industry Association of America.[6]