"I always loved "Sixteen Tons", but I never knew any of Tennessee Ernie Ford's other songs. This collection, which is in chronological order, was terrific from beginnning to end, with lots of singable songs and excellent recording quality. Some of my favorites were "Milk 'em in the Morning Blues", "Country Junction", "I'll Never Be Free", "Hey Mr. Cotton-Picker" and, of course, "Sixteen Tons", but most of the other songs are very good, also. This CD is also a great value -- lots of songs for the price."
Great voice.
Mur29 | Finland | 04/04/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"He has great voice, fine songs.
"Sixteen tons" is highlight.
Good compilation,good booklet."
I like Vintage
C. Thomas | 06/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've always loved Tennessee Ernie Ford and I'm enjoying this cd. I highly recommend it if you want to go into nostalgia mode."
As Good As You're Apt To Find When It Comes To His Hit Singl
C. Thomas | 01/26/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"For this release I can't be my hyper-critical self when it comes to the lack of his hit singles, simply because it doesn't advertise itself as such. Still, while there is a preponderance of Tennessee Ernie compilations dealing with a genre - religious hymns - for which he is also fondly remembered, he did put 37 hits onto the Billboard Country and/or Pop charts from 1949 to 1959, all for Capitol Records.
But just try and find a definitive "Greatest Hits Of" or "Best Of" for this genial balladeer, inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990, a year before his death at age 72 on October 17, 1991. And that's a crime really.
Here they manage to give us 10 of those hits plus two uncharted B-sides, although one of the latter, I Got The Milk 'Em In The Morning Blues, backed his first hit ever, Tennessee Border, in April 1949 (# 8 on what then passed for the Country charts) on Capitol 15400, and that breakthrough hit is not here.
The hits they do provide are: Country Junction - # 14 Country in May 1949 on Capitol 15430; Smokey Mountain Boogie - # 8 Country in September 1949 on Capitol 40212; Mule Train - # 1 Country for 4 weeks and # 9 Pop in late 1949 on Capitol 40258, and its B-side, Anticipation Blues, which also charted at # 3 Country; The Cry Of The Wild Goose - # 2 Country and # 15 Pop in early 1950 on Capitol F1124; I'll Never Be Free - a duet with Kay Starr which hit # 2 Country and # 3 Pop in the fall of 1950 on Capitol F1124; The Shot-Gun Boogie - # 1 Country for 14 solid weeks and # 14 Pop in late 1950/early 1951 on Capitol F1295 (it's uncharted flipside, I Ain't Gonna Let It Happen No More, is also here); Hey Mr. Cotton Picker - # 8 Country in June 1953 on Capitol 2443; Sixteen Tons - # 1 Country for 10 weeks and # 1 Pop for 8 weeks in late 1955/early 1956 on Capitol 3262; First Born - # 46 Pop in late 1956 on Capitol 3553; and Hicktown - # 9 Country in July 1965 on Capitol 5425.
Major hits overlooked in favour of some obscure cuts include the B-side to I'll Never Be Free - the # 5 Country/# 22 Pop Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own, also a duet with Kay Starr; Mr. And Mrs. Mississippi - # 2 Country/# 18 Pop in July 1951; The Ballad Of Davy Crockett - # 4 Country/# 5 Pop in spring 1955; and That's All - # 12 Country/# 17 Pop in spring 1956.
Some of these may be found on multi-srtist compilations, but the rest of his hits remain among the hardest to find for collectors like myself - something that just shouldn't be when it comes to a Hall of Famer like Ernie.
There are minimal liner notes, and the sound quality is good, as is usually the case with an EMI release."
Excellent Music
PBV | USA | 10/01/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you like classic country then TEF is a must have. A few songs are a bit corney but who cares. Highly recomended."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1
