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About
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, actor, and guitarist. Born in Rosewood, Kentucky, his songs' lyrics were often about 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". He is best known today, though, for 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. 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 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.
Top Tracks
- 1
Sixteen Tons
Sixteen Tons, The Kentucky Legend
- 2
Divorce Me C.O.D.
The Merle Travis Story
- 3
Sixteen Tons
The Merle Travis Story
- 4
Who's Sorry Now
The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show
- 5
Mutual Admiration
The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show
- 6
Blue Smoke (Instrumental)
The Merle Travis Guitar
- 7
Cannonball Rag (Instrumental)
Strictly Guitar
- 8
I'll See You In My Dreams
The Best Of Merle Travis: Sweet Temptation 1946-1953
- 9
On A Bicycle Built For Two (Instrumental)
The Merle Travis Guitar
- 10
Fat Gal
The Best Of Merle Travis: Sweet Temptation 1946-1953
