Tennessee Ernie Ford - Sixteen Tons | REACTION

[@jamelakajamal]

Enter Promo Code ‘Jamel’ jamel-aka-jamal-youtube-store.creator-spring.com/

[@shelleysparks210]

He was always referred to as “Tennessee Ernie Ford” & even had his own variety show (I think it was CBS) in the 60s. My family loved him. He did have an awesome bass voice.

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

The other version you're talking about, Jamel, is from Geoff (pronounced Jeff) Castelluci (cast a lou chi). He's amazing. Tom Morello has a cover of this, as well. Tom Morello, the Nightwatchman - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZ_aknmbo6pqfLM

[@195511SM]

Reminds me of another song called 'Big Bad John'......that came out....maybe a couple of years later. That was sung by Jimmy Dean.

[@kimberlygabaldon3260]

@Jamel_AKA_Jamal You asked for live footage of him singing this, and here he is on the Dinah Shore show, singing it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKDSamOQjNeIobc

[@DSWilkes]

Geoff is pronouned Jeff...

[@fancystitch6478]

I am a coal miner’s daughter. My father, grandfather and uncles all worked the coal mines. When this song came out, the mines my family worked for, the miners crawled into the mine on their hands and knees, loaded the mining car with coal, then pushed it outside to be processed. They later made the mine tall enough to walk into. And yes the company store kept them in debt. Even today most (not all ) of our electricity is powered by coal. I have a great appreciation for the electricity I use.

[@chicochi3]

And I bet they were paid in script which meant they could only shop at the company store.

[@RushFanatic87]

Not to mention before companies were forced to offer insurance and workers comp, many coal miners who developed physical and medical health issues from mining were largely treated like garbage by the companies and just cast aside. Respect to your family. That was a hard life to live.

[@fancystitch6478]

Yes, they were paid in script.

[@fancystitch6478]

@@RushFanatic87 yes, it was a hard life. And thank you for your post. It meant a lot to me.

[@RushFanatic87]

@@fancystitch6478 You are very welcome. Even as tacky as the metaphor may be, but just like coal to diamonds the hardest lives usually end up producing the most beautiful and valuable things. My friends who grew up in the toughest situations have the most beautiful hearts.

[@CynHatmaker]

Here's a tip, The song refers to "the company store". Back in the 30s - late 50s Coal Mining camps paid miners almost totally in something called "script". This currency was only good at a general merchandise store ran by the Coal Mine itself. You got groceries, clothes. The prices were VERY inflated which is a big reason why kids of miners only got shoes once a year. The parents saved script to give each kids a pair of shoes, a new outfit of clothes, and if they were lucky a little penny candy and a piece of fruit for Christmas. IF they got anything at all. Any toys were handmade, wooden blocks, dolls were sewn by the Mom as were most all the clothes.

[@goatbut29]

Just saying the same thing! Way to pay attention to history my friend!!

[@CynHatmaker]

@@goatbut29 in my area of the country (East Tennessee) my family lived it. ☺️

[@debradillard315]

My mom was born in the mining camp in 1926

[@goatbut29]

@@debradillard315 Bless her heart! That could not have been easy with all that white privilege!! : p

[@beverlysmith8025]

The Company Store...the only place to shop in a coal camp. St. Peter don't ya call me refers to the fact that if the coal miner was injured or died, then the family was left homeless because the houses were owned by the coal mine owner, too. My grandfather was a coal miner in Harlan County, KY.

[@StephenDaigle-p4i]

I’m 71 years old Tennessee Ernie Ford had a TV show and I heard him saying that on the TV for the first time

[@sallym1171]

I love Tennessee Ernie Ford. Man, he could sing. He played Lucy's cousin on a few episodes of I Love Lucy, he was nearly as funny as Lucy.❤

[@jollybobo6379]

Inch by inch, step by step.... 😊

[@cynthiajamison4006]

Oh my goodness I forgot about that, yes he did!

[@bonnieplasha4684]

IMO, those were among the funniest Lucy episodes!! 🤣🤣

[@gertrudelaronge6864]

This is the best and only version of this song worth listening to. I love it.

[@iainsmith2434]

Jerry Reed did a passable version, but the original is the best!

[@Phx_Phreak]

Jeff Beck did a cover of this w/ZZ Top with Tennessee Ernie playing on a big screen behind them. Awesome cover!

[@shaebryant1916]

Johnny cash, his cover was good

[@Calebe428]

I like the original Merle Travis one but Ernie Fords is undeniably the best

[@richb313]

This is a cover of a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky in 1946. Ernie Ford released his version in 1955 and it was huge he appeared on TV numerous times to sing this song so there is plenty of videos of him performing it.

[@christelheadington1136]

"Paradise",by John Prine or John Denver is another look a t Muhlenberg County.

[@user-gt2uf8cq9y]

Merle Travis also wrote "Dark as a Dungeon".

[@Grimmjow468]

This is the life of every one living in capitalism, my friend.

[@deboraclark5791]

Ernie was my cousin, he and his family used to come to our family reunions, very nice people. Ernie had a beautiful voice.

[@dagmar.6954]

Nice that you are bringing these artists from the past to a younger generation. Ernie covered many genres of music such as country & western, pop & gospel. He had a rich bass-baritone voice & down home humor. "Sixteen Tons" & "The Shotgun Boogie" are his two most famous songs. But he had a lot of great songs such as "Mule Train", "The Ballad Of Davy Crockett", "Give Me Your Word", "Hey, Good Lookin’" etc.

[@bobpadrick7718]

My uncle played the clarinet refrain in this recording. Thank you for giving him new life. As others have said, this song is about the tough, strong men who worked VERY hard in the coal mines. The mining companies provided housing and a general store. Payment was in company money that was only good at the company store. The prices were set very high and the store allowed the men and their families to purchase what they needed on IOU's from their future paychecks. Thus the men were always in debt to the company store. It was easy to get deeper and deeper into debt until they felt that they "owed their soul to the company store." This song was a timeless classic for about 50 or 60 years. There is a video. It's pretty simple.

[@phogue1]

That's very cool! I love the arrangement. I understand he had the same musical director for a lot of years, so I'm wondering if he did the arrangement for this recording.

[@cynthiajamison4006]

I remember watching Tennessee Ernest Ford when I was little. I was born in 57 so I remember seeing him in the sixties. I do know that he had a TV show 1956 through 61. But he also made a lot of guest appearances as well.

[@secolerice]

I was born in 57 too and grew up on him too!

[@theparrotrescuer3042]

OMG...he was sooo funny... good singer too!

[@Summermute7]

Geoff is pronounced “Jeff”. Glad you did this one. It’s one of my favorites!

[@corawheeler9355]

Yes ... there's a live performance. I remember Tennessee Earnie Ford. He had a variety show in the '50's, and he always sang a solo, often a gospel song. He called people 'pea pickers'.

[@arthurfears9464]

The Ford Show(named for Ford Motor Company not Tennessee Ernie Ford).

[@CindyNavarro]

"Bless your pea-pickin' heart." ❤🙂

[@mikecomstock1602]

In those days you could buy things from the "Company Store" against your next weeks pay. Normally that was the only way to get things like food, soap and clothes for your family. Work all week and the whole check went to the company store.

[@Cookies_crumbs]

The prices were probably jacked up, too. Once you got in debt you could never get out. Hence the line “I owe my *soul* to the company store.” Also, the workers usually lived in company-owned housing. Once the “company” got its hooks in you it was hard to escape. Younger people could learn a lot of history from the stories behind some of these older songs.

[@827dusty]

This fella was a comedic actor, great singer of Gospel, and American standards. He had a TV show in the early 1960s, and I remember him singing this song. He was a very spiritual God Fearing Christian man. He had a great sense of humor, but it was very family friendly, nothing tawdry like you see on tv in this day and age. A truly good man.

[@debradillard315]

He could sing as easy as most people talked.

[@patswanson2870]

He was a great singer and comedian.

[@christianmattison6096]

"I owe my soul to the company store..." the time frame this song refers to it was common in mining towns, lumber camps, and mill towns for the owners to provide housing and stores for the employees. These stores did not accept money, but company tokens. The same went for payment of rent for housing. The prices were usually exorbitant and employees were commonly deeper in debt at the end of each month than they were at the beginning. Because they were paid in company tokens rather than money and could only pay with tokens they were essentially trapped by design. It was a horrible system. My great-grandfather was paid this way at a lumber camp. When he broke his leg in an accident, the company loaded up his belongings on his wagon, along with his family and kicked him out of the camp. But did not relieve him of his debt. His 10 year old son and 12 year old sister were left picking up the slack to provide for the family. Things have improved over the years.

[@v3n0mzz]

His voice is amazing!

[@snakelite61]

When this came out, it was huge. Some radio stations played it on repeat for 24 hours. The only other record stations that did that with, that I can remember, was Tom Dooley by the Kingston Trio.

[@odiebryer2144]

There was at least one radio 📻 station that played The Four Seasons first hit "Sherry" for 24 hours when it first hit.

[@CaseyinTexas]

There's a story that Ford was on tour in the old Soviet Union. In some back street bar in a small Russian city, he was recognized by the owner. He asked if Ford if he would sing some songs in exchange for some drinks. When the owner introduced, the Russian patrons didn't know who he was and kept asking why what made him special. The owner said you know him, he's Sixteen Tons. The bar we went wild, because Sixteen Tons was super popular amond the working Russians.

[@royveteto4134]

mr ford used to have his own tv show and he would have hymns on it. tv execs were concerned about the reaction . he responded by saying these hymns are the greatest love songs ever.

[@thomasmeyer8798]

THIS is a titanic song. Love to play it on every party and everybody is leaving the dancefloor, hating me. But it's necessary to teach them musical culture.

[@arthurfears9464]

There are only two types of music.....Good and Bad.If you like it then it is Good but if you don't like it then it is Bad !!

[@TheMkarr]

I remember this song scaring me as a little guy. The haunting Obo did it to me. Anything played in minor to this day brings me back to the late 50's

[@RFWieder]

This is not the original version, the original was released in 1946 by Merle Travis who wrote it!! Tennessee Ernie Ford released his version in 1955!! It is about the lives of Kentucky coal miners, if you haven't reacted to it yet "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" is an amazing song about the coal miners, my favorite version is Patti Loveless's cover!!

[@pilesovinyl]

This was #1 on Billboard in December of 1955. This was a HUGE hit.

[@djgrant8761]

Tennessee Ernie Ford also had a hit with the song “Shotgun Boogie”. He also is well known for singing gospel and hymns. Tennessee Ernie Ford is also known for playing Cousin Ernie on the tv show I Love Lucy.

[@The-Artless-Gallery]

we all owe our soul to a company store at one point in our lives.

[@hockemeyer1]

This came out in 1955. I was in the 2nd grade. It was about a mile and quarter from school to my house. I would sing this at the top of my lungs all the way home.

[@827dusty]

Everyone knew him on TV as "Tennessee" Ernie Ford. That is how he was always introduced on tv.

[@martyadams3172]

"Well, bless your little pea pickin' hearts" Ernie's signature greeting on his tv show.

[@beegee1960]

Ernie Ford attended a music conservatory and has a classically trained voice. That training with his naturally powerful voice gave him an exceptional style. There are many videos oh him on Utube. He was huge. His gospel songs are extraordinary. And just in case you didn’t get it, Earnie was country with a capital C. He often referred to himself as the little peapicker.

[@DougRayPhillips]

This studio version was released in 1958. I remember it well. He had his own variety TV show back then. Called The Ford Show, because of his name and the name of the sponsor. Yes, there are YT vids of him singing it live on the show. The first recorded version of this song came out in 1947. I don't recall who the artist was. The song still works. Geoff Castellucci just dropped a cover version a year or two ago.

[@nyima04011]

The 1947 version is by the author, Merle Travis.

[@DougRayPhillips]

@@nyima04011 Yes. I remember now. Thanks.

[@nyima04011]

@@DougRayPhillips I just discovered it myself, lol

[@ronhunt9396]

Loved this song when I was a kid. I'll be 74 on the 27th. He had a great tv show. GREAT VIDEO. No such thing as a video back then

[@shanehughes740]

Happy birthday, Mr. Hunt, and many more!

[@bruceshook1781]

73 here, and yes i agree with you.

[@odiebryer2144]

73 here also and I agree 💯! 😂

[@chriso6719]

The original was written and recorded by Merle Travis in 1946. Tennesse Ernie Ford had the most known version ,recorded in 1955.

[@arthurbrandonnielsen]

This is old school. I was singing along. This song played all the time on an old warehouse commercial on tv.

[@eclipsegurl2002]

Watch it with Ernie's live performance. So awesome.

[@faithnyou1732]

Tennessee Ernie Ford is his full name. He and this song were huge back in the 50s. "16 Tons" was released in 1955. I was born in 1957, and this song was still going strong because I grew up with it. I had mentioned in my comment on your ZZ Top LaGrange reaction with your bros, that I had seen ZZ Top in concert last summer. At that concert, ZZ Top did a cover of "16 Tons" too! It was awesome! I found a video clip of another performance of "16 Tons" with ZZ Top and Jeff Beck (RIP) that you should react to (link below)! Thanks Jamel! ✌💙✌ 16 Tons (ZZ Top & Jeff Beck) - kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4HUlJt6fZdljNk

[@avidrdr5640]

His bass/baritone voice is, imo, unmatched in country music. "Shenandoah" by Tennessee Ernie Ford is a truly beautiful song and a prime example of his talent.

[@darrinlindsey]

If you want a good giggle, check out Ernie on a episode of his tv show, where he sings Children Go Where I Send Thee. On his show, he always invited the children in the audience, to join him on stage during a song. This particular one turned out a little different then most. 🤣🤣🤣

[@cariwaldick4898]

I remember that one. It was his own son if I recall.

[@vickimingus9281]

My Granny loved this. My grandfather was a coal miner and she cooked in a mining camp as a young woman.

[@joanne26]

You could hear and understand every word His internation was perfect Back in the day when we had entertainers 🤩🤩🤩👍 👍 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@jeannemartin2490]

We all loved Tennessee Ernie Ford. This is in the mid fifties. We had great music back then.

[@SuperJoy71]

Love Ernie Ford love his voice and yes there is a live version check his tv version

[@larrygrebler5054]

OK, there is a live version of this song. Tennessee Ernie Ford does this in front of a bunch of rich cats who get into the song. By the way sometimes I sing the chorus of this song when I leave work for the day.

[@shellygill5029]

I used to sing this song all the time as a young child. We used to watch his tv. Show every week. Ernie Ford had a distinctive voice, had a lot of great guests did some fun stuff, it was very entertaining.

[@richardkawucha1232]

Tennessee Ernie Ford was a heck of a singer/comedian. There are live shots of him singing this. At the old underground mines, the mine owners owned not only the land underground but the land that many of the miners built their towns on. They also owned the stores, where the miners bought their clothes and food. Basically everything!

[@stanleywiggins5047]

I've been singing along with 16T well over 50 years, don't matter who is performing it.

[@bluflaam777LSA]

This was back when radio stations wouldn't play any song over 3mins. They wanted to get as many 'hits' in per hour so more ppl would listen and then more advert $$$ TEF had a great voice. Jim Nabors. Johnny Horton.

[@lauriefowler836]

This is the music that I was raised on. Thank you for reacting to it.

[@honorsilverthorne7227]

I remember my aunts playing this when I was a little kid, in the late '60s-early '70s.

[@deirdremacnamara9885]

I remember my Dad singing this when I was a child. Wonderful. Thanks Jamel. Great to see you doing music reactions again. 👍

[@Allagi22]

"Sixteen Tons" is an American folk song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner but made famous by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Merle Travis was a famous singer/songwriter/guitarist who wrote many songs about the lives of coal miners that reflected his upbringing living in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, a coal mining mecca, in the early 20th century. I'd suggest a reaction to "Dark as a Dungeon" written and performed by Merle Travis also about the hell of mining coal for a living.

[@tstemforlife]

Classic song, good choice my dude

[@Pauba1946]

I watched this live in television in the 50’s when I was a little kid. It was a major hit.

[@philipholbrook9097]

Jamel, several comments correctly described how miners owed their souls to the "company stores", my family was coal miners and I luckily never had to do that. However, my first full-time job out of high school was working at a Company Store in Dante, Va. I am nearly 73 and so those jobs don't exist any longer, but when I was 18 I worked there doing whatever they needed to be done. I sold clothes, bagged groceries, unloaded trucks, stocked shelves, helped deliver appliances, and a myriad of other things. The busiest days at work were the paydays when the miners shopped and gave back to the company the wages they earned loading that coal. The miners never saw much of their paychecks because they truly owed their souls to the company store. So when I saw you doing this song it brought back a lot of memories. Good job, as always, and you get to take a glimpse into the lives of parts of society that you may not have been aware of.

[@Voodoomaria]

This is a very jazzy song with some VERY dark roots. 02:35 "Another day older and deeper in debt, Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go, I owe my soul to the company store" This lyric refers to the virtual slavery mine [and other industrial] workers were held in. They lived in the company owned town surrounding the mine, and they were charged for everything, rent, food, the tools and equipment they used in the mine. Also, if they missed their daily quotas of rock moved, then their pay was docked. They were payed in company script that could ONLY be redeemed at the company store, and of course when they didn't have enough money for needs the store was only too happy to extend credit, and a HUGE interest rate. Employees of the mine COULD NOT QUIT THEIR JOBS until the dept to the company store was worked off, but of course everything was arranged so the debt could NEVER be paid off. The company script meant no one could accumulate any money needed to flee, and if they DID flee, company police, AND the proper authorities would hunt down the fugitive and return them to the mine, Of course VERY heavy fines were levied for trying to run, so that only put the miner farther in the hole. The mining companies held the debts to be generational SO if a miner died, his remaining family had to work off the debt. on top of whatever debt THEY owed. This was a completely legal form of indentured servitude in Britain, and The USA, and it was equal opportunity, the companies didn't care about the ethnic origin of the miners as long as they could dig. Mining wasn't the ONLY industry that used this method, Farming, Textiles, Milling and many others used it as well. This practice carried on well into the 20th century until the Trade Union movements finally broke the power of the industrial barons. Enjoy the song.

[@arrgorndenethor]

it still didn't End, unfortunately :( to those folks in Alabama

[@Voodoomaria]

@@arrgorndenethor I just think it's important that the message behind these old folk songs be remembered Context is important. If the song lives on then so should it's message, but this is another uncomfortable part of history they only briefly touch on in schools by assigning "The Grapes Of Wrath" as reading. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana - 1905

[@debibailey2968]

I grew up in SW Pennsylvania, coal mine country and this was a pretty popular song even when I was growing up. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@johnpaulhenry2566]

Thank you for your comments on the song. It is one of my favorites. I was two years old when Tennessee Ernie Ford released the song.

[@kirpalite]

Tennessee Ernie Ford. He had a TV show. 1955 this song hit #1 on Billboard for 8 weeks! This is one of my favorite songs of all time. It's all about working the coal mines in Appalachia. Most of the miners had to buy goods from the store owned by the coal company. They were like indentured servants. Most of the miners had very short lives--black lung disease. Today, they get good wages. A heart breaking, but very informative, song/video about mining by John Prine is called "Paradise."

[@steventweed3599]

He's talking about the old days of coal mining. 16 tons of coal is how much a man was expected to get underground swinging that pick......I owe me soul to the company store- the coal companies owned the stores in these mill towns. They credit to them at exhorbent prices to keep them their.

[@timbaker6540]

My Grandfather turned me onto this song back in the 70s Great memory

[@chrissiegle1065]

The ultimate union song... Before unions, miners would be paid in tokens that were good at the mining town's store... And they were paid just under what it took to survive. But they were all given a line of credit.. so all the miners were in debt to the store, and every day they would be more in debt, and if they tried to leave, they were arrested for theft. All times. Great reaction. Thank you. 😊

[@ShannonR1969]

I don't know if you are aware of what a "company store" was. In rural areas where one company dominated the labor force -- like a coal mine, which is the employer in this song -- the company would operate a store on the premises. The workers and their families could shop at the store on credit, against their future paychecks. That's why Ernie sang about "owing his soul to the company store." He's purchased so much at the store that he owes whole paychecks to them. He's stuck in debt to the company. So glad you enjoyed this classic, and are bringing these great songs to new generations!

[@brianmartens104]

I saw him perform this song, and others, live, thirty or forty years ago. He was warm, gracious, and put on a great show. I remember him challenging the audience to snap their fingers along with him for the entire song. No one could. Also, it's scrip, not script.

[@NoCanDu]

My Dad loved this! I remember it as a very small child! Miss you, Dad! ❤

[@MrEvenStranger]

You're referring to Geoff (Jeff) Castellucci (cast-a-LOO-chee) of the group VoicePlay, an amazing bass singer with a near five octave range.

[@nrsvlda70]

Grew up with him.. he was on lots of variety shows in the 50 and 60s. This brings back tons of memories!! And.. there is a video of him singing it live.. finger snaps and all!

[@LighthawkTenchi]

I grew up listening to this song, it’s seriously one of the better ones from the era it came from

[@lkayh]

My Mom used to say that Tennessee Ernie Ford had the deepest voice she’d ever heard. She never heard Geoff Castellucci (Pronounced Jeff Cast-el-OO-chi). No matter who does it, this is a great song! They did have some soul back in the day.

[@patd.3368]

My grandmother taught me this song when i was really little and i LOVED it! When i finally started school, i sang it so much that me teacher took me around to all the classrooms, put me up on a desk and let me sing my heart out. My brother and sister who went to the same school were really embarrassed...LOL!!! Thanks for posting this...very timely in these crazy days!!

[@bryandamkaer3646]

He was Grandpas favorite singer... he could be heard singing many of Ford's tunes. As I understand , my Great Grandmother did a duet with Ernie... Love these tunes still

[@zorak1704]

My dad loved this song. He was born in a coal mining camp in West Virginia.

[@vwlssnvwls3262]

I have heard and loved this original version of this song for my entire 53 years, and I had no idea that is what Ernie Ford looked like. He looks nothing like what I had envisioned. It reminds me of the first time I saw Rick Astley. :D

[@CollinZaffke]

There is live footage, he sings exactly the same live.

[@dougieyou]

I got a tear in my eye listening to this Jamel cause it was my Dad's favorite song..He loved the line "one fist of iron the other of steel, If the right don't get you then the left one will" ... thanks for this.

[@joycewalbert1413]

He played a "country bumkin" on the I Love Lucy Show and cracked me UP!!! He played a rube who had been warned by his momma about those "wicked city women"- I don't know how they got away with the PURE humor in those days....people were less offended and could laugh at themselves! CIO! Thanks for your wonderful service to mankindind 2023.!

[@JasonNation72]

Fun fact: He served in the Army Air Corps (later the Air Force) as a bombardier on a B-29 in World War II and was due to go to Japan, but luckily the war ended before he was slated to go. As far as this song, the finger snaps in this song was done by Tennessee Ernie himself.

[@cynthiawallace4995]

Good ole Tennessee Ernie Ford!

[@fogdan]

Years later watching you and I still Love What you are doing.....

[@carsoncasmirri3874]

It’s a song with a message that is as old as life itself. Makes you appreciate if you have a good job that you don’t mind doing

[@gailvolm3862]

There is television footing of him singing this and it is even better!

[@johnburch6927]

It is an awesome song. One of my favorites since childhood.

[@darlene1_268]

Yes there are a few videos of Tennessee ernie Ford his music. He's amazing. My dad had several of his albums and I could listen to that voice for hours.

[@holly7937]

He sang it live on the Dinah Shore show, you'll enjoy it.

[@helenhelmke2051]

Absolutely there is !!

[@elizabethfranco1284]

One of the best story tellers ever

[@neldablanco1663]

LOVE...LOVE...LOVE.... THIS SONG!!!

[@annieh5479]

I saw him in Concert at the Coliseum in Indianapolis when I was REALLY young (1950's), the lead in group was The Everly Brothers - great concert.

[@bonnibobb1628]

Geoff Castellucci, pronounced Jeff Cass-tah-lu-chi, is a member of the acapella group Voice Play. He also does a lot of solo work including his version of sixteen tons. I really like Voice Play and Geoff Castellucci, but no one can ever surpass Ernie Ford's version of Sixteen Tons. His voice, the finger-snapping, and the clarinet all come together to make this version so great. Merle Travis wrote the song.

[@missd9785]

This was a HUGE hit so would imagine there is a number of videos. I was very very young when I luved this song and learned from my mom about the company store. Tennessee Ernie Ford also did appearances on I Love Lucy as her country relative.

[@waltw4537]

Keepin' the music alive with this one. There's footage for sure. Imagine being a kid and seeing this on fuzzy tv. The Real Thing. Thanks! And you had to buy your goods in a store owned by the mining company! So. Thanks again.

[@BadlndsBob]

Jamel, I love how you have an appreciation for such a wide variety of music. Music doesn't have to be a 2020+ song for you to like. That is great.

[@daveyhouston]

When I was a kid this song scared me his soul was trapped!!

[@robynanthony1612]

I remember my dad listening to this, when I was young.

[@rogeriofernandes138]

There's a great version of this song with "The Platters" that is worth reacting to, Greetings from Brazil!

[@RubyGB]

One of my mother's favorite artists and his gospel albums were the background music to a lot of my childhood.

[@elizabethfranco1284]

This song was about coal miners from Kentucky first recorded in 1947 by songwriter Merle Travis,but Ford made it his own around 60.The company store refers to the place where the men would go to purchase things with a voucher of some kind.

[@revwroth3698]

I love this song. I used to sing it to my daughter to get her back to sleep at night. Lol that makes me sound old, I'm 32. This is the into song in the movie Joe Vs the Volcano and that's one of my mom's favorite movies, so I heard it fairly often when I was a kid.