Country

Ernest Tubb Was The Texas Troubadour

Ernest Tubb was a second generation country music star. Profiles of the singer/songwriter paint him as a follower of Jimmie Rogers, who was known as “the Father of Country Music.” Rogers, though he died long before Tubb became a star, would have a lot to do with his rise.

Tubb – called The Texas Troubadour – was born into a family of sharecroppers in Texas. He was befriended by Rogers’ widow, Carrie, who took him under wing. She helped him get a contract with Rogers’ label, select material and aided him in other important ways. Tubb started out miming Rogers, but a tonsillectomy made it impossible to copy Rogers’ trademark yodeling. That, presumably, forced Tubb to develop his own style more fully.

Profiles at Wikipedia, AllMusic and elsewhere say that Tubb was one earliest honky tonk country singers and one of the first to cross over: He had a hit with “I’m Biting My Fingernails and Thinking of You” with The Andrews Sisters, who were jazz singers. Whatever Tubb did worked: He headlined a presentation of the Grand Ole Opry at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1947. That’s quite an accomplishment for a country singer from Texas.

Tubb was inducted into the The Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999. He was not known to have the best voice, which is not such a great thing for somebody who made his living singing country songs. In fact, many people — including Tubb — made fun of it. Regardless, he became one of most loved country stars of the middle of the last century. In all, Tubb put 91 songs on the country charts, according to AllMusic.

He returned the help that Carrie Rogers accorded him by featuring young talent on the radio show that he hosted in association with the Nashville record store he opened in Nashville in 1947. “The Midnight Jamboree” aired after the Grand Old Opry on Saturday nights. The show – and the record store (now a chain of three) – still are going strong 30 years after his death.

Above is “Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin” and below is “Thanks a Lot.”

Our New Things: Links to Music Sites and Info on Analog Tech and Vinyl

TDMB has focused on music and musicians. We will continue to do that, of course. We're also expanding our coverage to include vinyl and analog equipment.

More specifically, we'll look at this huge and interesting world from the perspective of music lovers who want a better experience, not committed non-audiophiles.

Check out is some of what we've written so far:

-- Assessing the Value of Vinyl Records: An Overview

-- 7 Quick Tips on Optimizing Your Turntable Cartridge

-- Why Vinyl Records Continue to Thrive

-- Finding the Best Amplifier

-- Finding the Best Phono Preamp

-- What Speakers Do I Need for My Turntable?

Check out more articles on analog equipment and vinyl.

The site also is home to The Internet Music Mapping Project, an effort to list and describe as many music-related sites as possible.

Our Music

--A Tribe Called Quest to The Dick Hyman Trio (In other words, A to H)

--Indigo Girls to Queen Ida (I to Q)

--Radiohead to ZZ Top (R to Z)

Reading Music

The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.

Here are some books to check out.

Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.

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What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.

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The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").

David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.

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