Gun song – Tennessee Ernie Ford – Shotgun Boogie

A fun classic from a simpler time, the 1950s, when a song about guns wasn’t about bust’n a cap in sum’uns ass. Proper etiquette was involved, like meeting pappy, the guy with the 16 ga “choked down like a rifle.”


Tennessee Ernie Ford – Shotgun Boogie

Tennessee Ernie Ford was VERY talented, as a singer, writer, and performer – when he was doing radio, starting in the late 1930s, he’d do all sorts of voices, he sung a wide variety of country, gospel, and popular songs, including famous ones like “16 tons” and “The ballad of Davy Crockett”. He had a marvelous deep baritone/bass voice, but could do all sorts of “character voices” with it, and you can tell when he’s smiling as he sings. He was still releasing music into the 1970s. He even sung things like When the Ship Hit the Sand with Dean Martin in the 60’s; good use of humor and double entendre. He was also a bombardier on a B29 in the Pacific during WW II. If you want your kids to dance to something, try some of his “boogies.” I’ve got his “Ultimate Collection” on the Zune in the car – when I have to give my (grade-school age)  kids a ride somewhere with one or two of their friends, I try to play something “odd” like Ernie, and I always get positive comments. Their parents usually get a kick out of it, too.

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3 thoughts on “Gun song – Tennessee Ernie Ford – Shotgun Boogie

  1. Some of my earliest memories of TV include Arthur Godfrey’s variety show and songs like 16 Tons by TE Ford. Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be humming “another day older and deeper in debt” to myself for the rest of the day.

  2. I’m reminded of a song I heard sung by the fellow who did the voice of Jiminy Cricket — “I Love Mountain Women”.

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