Merle Travis

Merle Travis (born November 29, 1917 in Rosewood , Kentucky , † October 20, 1983 in Tahlequah , Oklahoma ) was an American country musician , singer and songwriter.

Beginnings

Merle Travis grew up in poor conditions in the mining-dominated Muhlenberg County . From local musicians (among them Ike Everly, the father of the Everly Brothers ) he adopted a guitar-playing style that was not very common among white musicians at the time: finger-picking . Well-known representatives were blues or ragtime guitarists such as Blind Blake , Blind Willie McTell or Mississippi John Hurt . The special feature of finger picking is to play a bass figure (either an alternating bass or walking bass ) with the thumb of the plucked hand - even by striking two sides at once - while the index finger, middle finger and sometimes the ring finger play the three higher strings of the instrument and usually play the actual melody. He popularized the style originally introduced into music by African-Americans and made it his own by transferring it to country music. This style of play is also known as travis picking . The guitar was upgraded from a rhythm to a melody instrument in country music and was able to take on a leading role as the lead guitar . He became a great role model for Chet Atkins , who in turn developed finger picking.

Word quickly got around his high level of technical ability and Travis became a sought-after guitarist. After guest appearances in various local bands, he became a member of the Cincinnati- based Drifting Pioneers in 1938 . Occasionally he played with Grandpa Jones and the Delmore Brothers in a gospel quartet called Browns Ferry Four . During this time, the first singles were recorded together with Grandpa Jones. The beginning of the Second World War initially interrupted his career - Merle Travis was drafted into the Navy.

Career

After completing his military service, Travis moved to Los Angeles in 1946 , where he quickly became a sought-after session musician. For the Capitol label he recorded several successful singles from 1946, such as Divorce Me COD ; the song became a number one hit on the country charts . At the same time he took on minor film roles. He was also extremely talented as a songwriter. In 1947 he wrote the classics Sixteen Tons and Dark As A Dungeon , which described the hard life of Kentucky miners. In the same year he wrote together with his friend Tex Williams Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! that made this a top hit.

Merle Travis was one of the first country stars to use an electric guitar . The Bigsby guitar , released in 1948 and developed by Merle Travis together with the engineer Paul Bigsby, was one of the world's first electric guitars with a solid wood body. Musicians from nearby Bakersfield soon followed his example and developed the Bakersfield Sound . He was also still active as an actor. In 1953 he took on a supporting role in Damned Forever and played and sang the reenlistment blues in this film . He starred alongside Johnny Cash in Just Five Minutes to Live in 1961 .

Although he was no longer represented in the charts, Travis was at the height of his career. He was considered the best and most influential guitarist in country music and took part in numerous recording sessions. Many great musicians saw him as a role model. His private life was turbulent. While drunk, he had clashes with the police several times. Several marriages failed. Only his marriage to the ex-wife of his friend Hank Thompson was able to steer the life of the now almost sixty-year-old in order.

A final success came in 1974 with the album Atkins-Travis Travelin Show , produced together with Chet Atkins , which won a Grammy the following year . In 1977 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame . Merle Travis died of a heart attack on October 20, 1983 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma in Cherokee Country.

Discography (albums)

• 1947 - Folk Songs of the Hills (Capitol)
• 1956 - The Merle Travis Guitar (Capitol)
• 1957 - Back Home (Capitol)
• 1960 - Walking the Strings (Capitol)
• 1963 - Songs of the Coal Mines (Capitol)

literature

• Richard R. Smith: Fender - a sound makes history . Nikol Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 1995. ISBN 978-3-937872-18-6

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Eric Schoenberg: Fingerpickung Beatles. Amsco Publications, London / New York / Sydney 1981, p. 11 ( I Feel Fine ).
2. ↑ Richard R. Smith: Fender , p. 95 ff .: "The Travis-Bigsby-Fender connection". With a description of the Travis guitar.