149th Edition of the Clearfield County FairHank Snow & Ernest Tubb: County Music Kings
The Clearfield County Fair closed last Saturday night. Things have changed. Country Music used to be the staple of the fair. Now, its rockabilly, rock and pop country music. But, of course, that is the movement of our society and culture and the movement has reached Clearfield County. I can remember my father and grandfather listening to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights, and it was that kind of performers and performances that used to headline the fair. Two of the Country Music Kings were Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb; two of my dad’s favorites.
Hank Snow was born Clarence Eugene Snow on May 9, 1914, in Nova Scotia Canada. His parents divorced when he was eight and he went to live with his grandparents. At 12 he worked as a cabin boy on a fishing boat for four hard years. When he returned to land he held odd jobs. In 1929, his mother gave him some Jimmie Rodger’s records and that inspired him to become a performer. He even named his son Jimmie Rodgers Snow. He began playing and singing in Canada until the mid 1940s when he ventured into the U.S.
He moved around…Philadelphia; the Jamboree in Wheeling, W.Va.; two trips to Hollywood and finally to Dallas in 1948. It was here he met Tubb who was already a Grand Ole Opry star. Snow began playing at The Big D Jamboree. From 1949 through 1956 he recorded and played with his band the Rainbow Ranch Boys. In 1950, with the backing of Ernest Tubb he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He first hit on
Billboard’s Country charts was in 1949 but it was his own “Movin’ On” in July of 1950 that propelled him to superstar status. “Movin’ On” is the longest standing number one in
Billboard Country history. He had two number 1s in 1950; in 1951 a number 1, 4 and 6; two 2s a 4 and 6 in 1952; and “Let Me Go Lover” as a number 1 in 1954.
In 1961 he hit the charts with “Beggar to a King” written by the Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson who went down with Buddy Holly [When the music died!] two years before it hit the charts. “I’ve Been Everywhere” [heard sung by Johnny Cash on a motel commercial today] first recorded by Snow sent him back to number 1 in 1962. In 1963 he hit number 2 and number 5 in 1965. His last number one was in 1974, “Hello Love”.
Snow was an accomplished guitarist, and recorded with his producer, the legendary Chet Atkins, in 1964 and 1970. Yet, he is best known for his firm, sharp and perfectly controlled voice. His words were always clear and understandable and his pronunciation perfect as is heard on “I’ve Been Everywhere”. He was not a crooner, but sang intensely and precisely. His is a voice others tried to mimic without success. His distinctiveness set him apart for all generations of country music performers. He died in December 1999, at age 85.
Ernest Tubb, “The Texas Trubador”, was born the son of a sharecropper in 1914, the same year as Snow, in Crisp, TX. Also, like Snow, he was inspired when he heard the music of Jimmie Rodgers. Tubb worked at day jobs and taught himself to sing, yodel and play guitar in the Rodgers style. He met the widow of Rodgers and she helped him tour theaters and sing in 1936. In 1939, he had a tonsillectomy and returned to singing too soon thereby damaging his throat. This was a blessing since it allowed him to step away from being a Rodgers imitator to develop his own style.
He signed with Decca in 1940 and became a full time performer on KGKO in Fort Worth. He was the originator of the Honky Tonk Country style and his breakthrough “Walkin’ the Floor over You” defined him and sent him to the Grand Ole Opry in 1943. He was also an entrepreneur opening the Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville in 1947. His establishment sold country records worldwide via mail. Also, in 1947 he headlined the first Opry show at Carnegie Hall in New York City. His own show, live from the record shop, debuted on WSN following the Opry in 1948. And, he was one of the individuals who convinced the industry to adopt “Country & Western” to replace the derogatory term of “hillbilly music.”
In 1949, he had a number 1 in “Slippin’ Around”, a song that treated adultery as a matter of fact in life. A 1950 duet with Red Foley, Leadbelly’s “Good Night Irene” was a top ten hit in country and pop music. He established Roger Miller as a songwriter supreme performing “Half a Mind”. His final top ten hit “Thanks a Lot” in 1963 was classic Ernest Tubb. In 1965 he sang “Waltz Across Texas” which was a departure from his drinking and womanizing tunes showing his versatility. Also, in 1965 he became the 6th inductee into the County Music Hall of Fame.
His life was a lot like his singing with legendary offstage honky tonk carousing. He was twice married and twice divorced and essentially lived on the road. His “Green Hornet” tour bus crisscrossed the U.S. and was home to the Troubadours. A heavy drinker and smoker, his health deteriorated and he had to use oxygen on the bus because of emphysema. He finally came off the road in 1982 when his weakened state forced him to retire after 46 years of touring! He died in 1984.
His legacy is not just performing. He helped many get started including Snow, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Stonewall Jackson and the Wilburn Brothers. He recorded duets with Loretta Lynn “Sweet Thang” and “Mr. & Mrs. Used to Be”. Jack Greene and Cal Smith were former members of Tubb’s group. And, Johnny Cash, who was heavily influenced by Tubb, was helped by the Texas Troubadour getting established in Nashville in the 1950s.
These two giants of “hillbilly” music helped transition Country & Western into an enormous business enterprise. They were not “one hit wonders” or make their money and run guys. They were performers who worked a lifetime at their craft. They were musicians who established styles and standards that have flourished through the years. Today, Country & Western has lost much of its edge, clarity and preciseness, but when you hear a Randy Travis or George Strait think Hank Snow, or when you hear an Alan Jackson or Toby Keith, think Ernest Tubb. For without Snow and Tubb, we would have no benchmark by which to judge what real Country & Western music is.
