Also known as the Texas Troubadour, Ernest Tubb was an American country music pioneer.
He recorded singles, duets, and records with his bands. Ernest was one of the first country musicians to use the sound of an electric guitar in his records.
From the '30s to the '60s, Tubb had a number of recording hits. His unique style of country music earned him a spot in the music hall of fame. Ernest Tubb started out by lending his voice on the radio. He's had more than one hit song and even today, country musicians around the world consider him one of the best.
His music was so iconic that his fans continued to stay loyal to him even after he stopped appearing on hit charts. He passed away in 1984 and later in 2003, he was ranked 21st on the 40 Greatest Men of Country Music list by CMT.
With a career spanning over three decades, Ernest Tubb is even today considered to be one of the best country musicians of all time. Some of his well-known songs include 'Walking The Floor Over You' and 'Waltz Across Texas'.
According to some estimates, Ernest Tubb had a net worth of around $1.5 million while he was alive.
Ernest Tubb's annual income is not known.
Ernest Tubb was 6 ft (183 cm) tall.
Ernest Tubb was 70 years old when he passed away.
Ernest Dale Tubb was born to Calvin Robert and Sarah Ellen (Baker) Tubb in February 1914. He was their youngest child and had four elder siblings. The children grew up on a cotton farm and spent more time on the fields rather than in school. Very little is known about his formal schooling. His mother was deeply religious and encouraged the children to explore music and poetry-writing.
Ernest Tubb was married twice. He married Lois Elaine Cook on May 26, 1934. The couple had two sons and a daughter. The marriage ended in divorce in 1948. He married his second wife, Olene Adams on June 3, 1949. They had five children and were married for 26 years. The couple was legally separated in 1975 but never divorced.
Ernest Tubb started out as a singer on the KONO-AM, a San Antonio radio station. He wasn’t paid much and supplemented his income with odd jobs like clerking for drug stores and digging ditches. He did not serve in the military but he recalibrated his music for wartime. His songs like 'Soldier's Last Letter' were dedicated to the heroes of the war.
In the early '30s, he shifted to San Angelo, Texas. He was hired for a 15-minute afternoon live radio show on the KGKL-AM station. This was also where his idol, Jimmie Rodgers had lived before he died. Tubb contacted Rodger’s widow and spent an afternoon with her. With her help, Ernest Tubb was able to get a contract with RCA Records in 1936. He used Jimmie Rodgers's guitar for many of the recordings but they were unfortunately unsuccessful partly because RCA Records did not promote them enough.
In 1939, Tubb had to get his tonsils removed. The surgery affected his singing and he found himself unable to yodel. Instead, he began to introduce a drawl to his singing style.
Again, with the help of Rodger’s widow, Tubb was able to get a new contract with Decca Records. He started recording again in 1940. This time, he found success from his very first single.
A self-written song, 'I'm Walking The Floor Over You' brought him stardom in the following year. The record sold 400,000 copies in the first year. This success led to him being sponsored by Universal Mills. He also secured an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry concert in Nashville. His set was so well received that he played three encores and became a regular. He played here for four decades.
In February 1943, Ernest Tubb put together a band named the Texas Troubadours. He also hosted a weekly radio show on Saturday nights. In 1947, when the Grand Ole Opry show was put up in Carnegie Hall in New York City, Ernest Tubb was a headliner.
Ernest Tubb worked with many other musicians in his career. Jimmy Short was credited with the single-string guitar picking that can be heard in many of Tubb’s songs. He played with lead guitarist Tommy 'Butterball' Paige, Jerry Byrd, and Owen Bradley who was also his producer. He also played with a jazz musician.
Ernest Tubb had a record shop but it isn't clear when he started the shop.
In 1949, Ernest Tubb recorded with the Andrews Sisters. The collaboration resulted in a record that sold over 750,000 units.
By the '60s, Ernest Tubb’s band was recognized as one of the finest in country music. In 1965, he began hosting the Ernest Tubb Show and was listed in the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1970, his name entered the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In his later years, Ernest Dale Tubb made an appearance as himself in the film, 'Coal Miner's Daughter'. He continued singing and made over 200 appearances annually even after he was diagnosed with emphysema. All that changed was that he started carrying an oxygen tank with him. It was only in 1982 that he stopped performing.
Ernest Tubb is best known for his song called 'Walking The Floor Over You'. This was an important point in music history as it heralded the popularity of 'honky tonk' music.
Ernest Tubb's first single with Decca Records, 'Walking The Floor Over You' won him a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1965. In 1999, Ernest Tubb was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.
Glenn Tubb, the songwriter who won a Grammy award for a song named, 'Skip A Rope' wrote his first song for Ernest Tubb.
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