Always Sang Flat
Ernie grew up on a cotton farm in Texas, and he worked on other farms in the area to make extra money. He was inspired by Jimmy Rogers, and he spent as much time as he could learning to sing, yodel and play guitar.
Still in his teens, he took a job singing on KONO – AM in San Antonio, and took odd jobs to help pay the bills. In 1939, he moved to San Angelo, Texas where he had a fifteen minute show on KGKL – AM. He also drove a beer delivery truck, to keep the dollars flowing.
Ernie had a tonsillectomy in 1939, and it changed his singing style. He turned his hand to songwriting during his recovery. One of his own compositions became his biggest success with, “Walking the Floor Over You”, which sold over a million copies.
Ernie always sang flat, and said that ninety-five percent of men would hear his music on a juke box, and tell their girlfriends, “I could sing better than him”.
Join me next Saturday, March 7 at 9:20, for more with Ernest Tubb!
Jeff Norgate and you…Saturdays…on CKNX!
