Merle Travis
Merle Travis
Merle Robert Traviswas an American country and western singer, songwriter and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons," "Re-Enlistment Blues," "I am a Pilgrim" and "Dark as a Dungeon". However, it is his masterly guitar playing and his interpretations of the rich musical traditions of his native Muhlenberg County, Kentucky for which he is best known today. "Travis picking", a syncopated style of...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCountry Singer
Date of Birth29 November 1917
CityRosewood, KY
CountryUnited States of America
Merle Travis quotes about
You load 16 tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go. I owe my soul to the company store.
Who deserves more credit than the wife of a coal miner? Mother was one.
My father and brothers were coal miners.
The saddest songs are written when a person is happy.
I have known the fruits of strikes. The bitter and the sweet. Hunger and music.