A special moment, preserved on audiotape, happened in 1956 when Travis returned to the hamlet of Ebenezer in Muhlenberg County for Merle Travis Day, where a … To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. At age 65, however, he suffered a massive heart attack and died the following morning. Place of Birth: Rosewood, Kentucky. Travis is survived by his wife, Dorothy, two brothers, one sister, three daughters and five granddaughters. He was 65 years old. (That Cigarette)," died Thursday of cardiopulmonary arrest at his home. His imprint is in Scotty Moore’s biting solos on Elvis Presley’s records. By all accounts, he died a happy man, having overcome his struggles. "She was just a first-class lady," said Robert Kirtley Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at Last.fm. His father was an old-time fiddle player, and his mother was a ballad singer and herself adept on the concertina. Merle Travis definitely exposed the masses to the scroll headstock with his Martin D-28 custom neck acoustic dreadnought (pictured above), as well as his usage of one of the first Bigsby electrics. His first instrument was guitar. It is based on the experiences of his coal-mining family. Induction Year: 1970. (AP) Country music star Merle Travis, who started performing at barn dances and became of member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, is dead at 65. The country singer Merle Travis died at the age of 65. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977, Travis is credited by some for the innovation of the solid body electric guitar. Smoke! BIOG: He died on October 20, 1983 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA. He appeared in the 1953 Academy Award-winning movie "From Here to Eternity," several Westerns and Clint Eastwood's "Honky Tonk Man" in 1982. NAME: NewsOK has disabled the comments for this article. He had lived on the shores of Lake Tenkiller in northeastern Oklahoma for several years. Although many of his original LP albums are still unissued on CD, Travis' posthumous discography continues to grow, due in large part to the efforts of independent labels. This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Here is all you want to know, and more! Also, it influenced Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, Doc Watson, Joan Baez, Clarence White and countless others. Mr. Travis, whose hits also included ''Smoke! Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. His brother, John Travis, wrote him a letter about the death of Ernie Pyle, a war correspondent who had just been killed covering combat. This Martin D-28, once owned by Merle Travis, was customized with the country artist’s name in mother-of-pearl on the fretboard, "So everybody could read and learn my name by the time the show was over." John Travis wrote, "It's like working in the coal mines. 1 29:40 – After Rager talks about working in the mines with Ike Everly, we hear Merle Travis performing his mining anthem “Nine Pound Hammer.” Well, one of them. The song's chorus came from a letter Merle received from his brother lamenting the death of World War II journalist Ernie Pyle, killed while covering combat in the Pacific in 1945. Pat was one of three daughters of the late Merle Travis, legendary guitarist and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. To place an order or for customer service, call toll-free 1-800-336-4627 or outside the United States, call 1-610-649-7565 Biography - A Short Wiki. Smoke! Merle Travis Memorial Rock. He recorded tribute albums to the Georgia Wildcats and began working again with old associates like Grandpa Jones, and it looked like Travis was to enjoy a resurgence of musical and public acclaim. She was a 36-year member and longtime Sunday school teacher at Southcliff Baptist Church. "It's hard for young people today to realize how different he was as a stylist and what an influence he was on everybody," Atkins said. You can hear it coming through Chet Atkins in the Nashville Sound of the '60s. Merle Travis Birthday and Date of Death Merle Travis was born on November 29, 1917 and died on October 20, 1983. Birth Name: Merle Robert Travis . Smoke! (1930s) disaster at the mannington mine (hazel dickens) (1970s) don't go down in the mine, dad (robert donnelly/will geddes) (1910) down on the picket line (sarah ogan gunning) (1930s) … Biography. Merle Travis, a member of the Country Music Association's Hall of Fame and the composer of the song ''16 Tons,'' died of heart disease Thursday … Mr. Travis was born Nov. 29, 1917, in Muhlenberg County, Ky., and was in the Marine Corps during World War II. Merle Travis wrote Dark as a Dungeon, Sixteen Tons and Smoke! The information in this obituary is based on data from the US Government's Social Security Death Index . Mini Bio (1) Merle Travis was born on November 29, 1917 in Rosewood, Kentucky, USA as Merle Robert Travis. In 1974, the Academy of Country Music awarded him the Pioneer of Country Music Award and, in 1977, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Illegitimate son of actor-musician-writer Merle Travis and Ruth Johnson, who later married renowned Hollywood photographer Bud Bresh. Facebook ''It's hard for young people today to realize how different he was as a stylist and what an influence he was on everybody,'' Mr. Atkins said. A memorial service will be conducted Sunday at his monument site in Muhlenberg County and he will be buried at the Ebeneezer Cemetery. It is a three-finger method of picking simultaneous rhythm and melody on a guitar. In 1970, he was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Merle Travis died in October of 1983. ADDITIONAL STANZA RARELY PERFORMED BY MERLE TRAVIS: The midnight, the morning, or the middle of day, Is the same to the miner who labors away. Birth: November 29, 1917 - Death: October 20, 1983 Birthplace: Rosewood, Kentucky dark as a dungeon (merle travis) (1946) death of the blue eagle (george davis?) Released in 1972, it featured such other country, folk and bluegrass luminaries as Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, Earl Scruggs and Merle Travis… She authored two books, "In Search of my Father," in 1988, and "A Scrapbook of my Daddy, Merle Travis," in 2000. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Death Date: 10-20-1983 Written by Country & Western guitarist and songwriter Merle Travis based on the experiences of his coal-mining family in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, Travis first recorded the song in 1946. Travis, who wrote "Sixteen Tons" and "Smoke! Travis was born in Muhlenberg County, Ky., and starred in "Hometown Jamboree" and "Town Hall Party" on television in California after World War II. 9 Coal is a thing. Hard to say if this or “Dark As A Dungeon” is the more definitive Merle Travis coalmining song. After Travis’ death, the instrument was sold to Marty Stuart, country artist and former son-in-law of Travis’ friend, Johnny Cash. Merle played the custom Martin guitar from the time he had it re-necked until his death in 1983 on all his acoustic tracks. 31:08 – We learn that No. His contributions were praised by countless musicians and fans. (That Cigarette),'' ''Dark as a Dungeon,'' ''Divorce Me C.O.D.,'' and ''Double Talking Baby,'' had lived near Lake Tenkiller in northeastern Oklahoma for several years. "He was a great innovator. nature of Dorothy Thompson Travis made her a perfect fit with her late husband, country music legend Merle Travis. He appeared in the 1953 Academy Award-winning movie ''From Here to Eternity,'' several westerns and Clint Eastwood's ''Honky Tonk Man'' in 1982. Shared Grammy Award, He also teamed with the guitarist Chet Atkins in 1974 to win a Grammy Award for their duet guitar record ''The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show.''. Flint was the author of more than 40 guitar method books and was a cousin to Merle Travis. In 1983, Travis died of a heart attack at his Tahlequah, Oklahoma home. Travis was best known for making popular the "Travis technique" of guitar playing. Great music from slick pickin Merle Travis the father of that distinct boom chucka thumb picker sound known as Travis Picking. He was married to Judy Hayden and Mary E. Johnson Edwards. (AP) Country music star Merle Travis, who started performing at barn dances and became of member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, is dead at 65. Singer who developed his own guitar playing style called “Travis picking” and who released hit songs like “So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed” and “Sixteen Tons.” When the younger Bresh was 'allowed' to discover his true biological father, Travis (who had stayed close to the boy as a family friend) made him promise he would keep the secret until his stepfather died. Merle Travis. Wildcat Point, Oklahoma Merle Travis was a pioneering country music performer. Travis, who wrote "Sixteen Tons" and "Smoke! AKA Merle Robert Travis. Although Merle Travis’s commercial success never matched his influence, he left an indelible mark on country music. ... Merle Travis in U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Merle Travis in Williamson Daily News - Oct 22 1983 . Birthplace: Rosewood, KY Location of death: Tahlequah, OK Cause of death: Heart Failure Remains: Cremate. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered around a memorial erected to him near Drakesboro, Kentucky. Jones was born in the small farming community of Niagara in Henderson County, Kentucky, the youngest of 10 children in a sharecropper's family. Merle Travis covered I'm Looking over a Four Leaf Clover, The House of the Rising Sun, The Convict and the Rose, Carroll County Blues and other songs. Genealogy for Merle Travis (1917 - 1983) family tree on Geni, with over 200 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. No country musician should ever forget what he did.". Birth Date: 11-29-1917. Merle Travis originally did Dreamy Georgiana Moon, Carroll County Blues, Peach Pickin' Time down in Georgia, The Convict and the Rose and other songs. Mother Maybelle’s Biggest Opportunity A combination of Maybelle’s country and folk fame and Johnny Cash’s budding interest in her daughter, June, started it all. Smoke! Where the demons of death often come by surprise, One fall of the slate and you're buried alive. His body was cremated, and his ashes are at a monument erected to him in Ebenezer (Muhlenberg County), Kentucky. Merle was 65 years old at the time of death. He told audiences he "learned this style from a couple of coal miners back where I came from in western Kentucky.". It was released in July 1947 by Capitol. Merle Travis, a member of the Country Music Association's Hall of Fame and the composer of the song ''16 Tons,'' died of heart disease Thursday at a Tahlequah Hospital. Birthday: November 29, 1917 Flint is shown with Travis' son, Thom Bresh, as the two played together around 1987. Listen free to Chet Atkins – Guitar Man (Mister Sandman, Boo Boo Stick Beat and more). His most famous song, "Sixteen Tons," later became the signature hit record for Tennessee Ernie Ford.. Merle fell into a period of drug and alcohol abuse, but righted himself and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1977. TO TOP OF PAGE TO MERLE TRAVIS PAGE TO SONGS FROM THE MINES TO LABOR MOVEMENT PAGE TO HISTORY IN SONG PAGE Mr. Travis is survived by his wife, Dorothy; two brothers; a sister; three daughters, and five granddaughters. ''He was so talented in so many ways - he could draw you a great cartoon, write you a great story or fix your watch if it broke. Merle Travis had an unequaled blend of talents as an innovative guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, guitar designer, and author. Travis continued to make music up to his death on October 20, 1983. Merle Travis. He appeared at barn dances and before he became a television star on ''Hometown Jamboree'' and ''Town Hall Party'' in California. When the younger Bresh was 'allowed' to discover his true biological father, Travis (who had stayed close to the boy as a family friend) made him promise he would keep the secret until his stepfather died. See the article in its original context from. https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/22/obituaries/merle-travis-country-singer.html. Influential fingerpicking country guitarist. The memorial is located off Highway 176, about 10 miles outside Central City. From a drawing he made for instrument builder Paul Bigsby reputedly came the first Fender guitar. Bud Bresh died in 1987, four years after Travis' death. This video clip comes out of my “favorite things” collection. 20 tracks (49:13). Merle Travis in Kentucky New Era - Oct 24 1983 . Travis and guitarist Chet Atkins won a Grammy Award in 1974 for their duet album "The Atkins-Travis Travelling Show.". "He was so talented in so many ways he could draw you a great cartoon, write you a great story or fix your watch if it broke ... My wife and I loved him very much. You can enhance W Merle Travis' memory by upgrading W Merle's public record with words and pictures, signing W Merle's memory book, recording an audio memory or lighting a candle. 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