Published: January 03, 2009 06:42 pm      

Stringer: Ernest Tubb, The Texas Troubador

The musical tastes of Texans range from Bob Wills’ Texas swing to Willie Nelson’s outlaw style, to Van Cliburn’s classical piano, to Roy Orbison’s popular ballads. But many Texans will readily indicate they prefer Country music over other styles. One of the founding fathers of Country music was Ernest Tubb. Born in 1914 in the Ellis County community of Crisp east of Waxahachie, Tubb lived all over Texas with various relatives after his parents divorced when he was 12 years old.

Tubb’s earliest musical influence came when at the age of 14 he heard Jimmie Rodgers’ recording of “I’m in the Jailhouse Now.” Tubbs patterned himself after Rodgers as he launched his own singing career around the San Antonio area. He made the rounds of all the local radio stations, offering to perform for free in exchange for the air time and exposure. Eventually one station gave him 15 minutes twice a week at 5:30 in the morning. To “pay the bills,” Tubb worked for the WPA, one of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.

Throughout the 1930s, Tubbs played his music from Midland to San Antonio and from Beaumont to San Angelo, performing on the radio, at drive-ins, and honkytonks. His big break came with his 1941 recording of “I’m Walking the Floor Over You.” The following year he began a series of public appearances for Gold Chain Flour as the Gold Chain Troubadour, singing from a platform he constructed on the top of his automobile. By 1942 Tubb was a regular on the Grand Old Opry, where he remained a dominant performer for four decades.

But Tubb was a traveling man, taking his Texas Troubadours on the road for literally thousands of shows. He even headed a Grand Old Opry group that performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1947. Tubb was among the earliest “crossover” artists, performing with established stars like the pop-singing Andrews sisters. He convinced the powers that be to replace the traditional adjective of “hillbilly” with the more respectful term of “country” to describe their music. With his white Stetson hat and his colorful sequined suits, Tubb entertained his audiences with unique showmanship and a gravelly voice that one fan described as sounding like a cement mixer going at full speed. His greatest hits included “I’ll Get Along Somehow,” and “Have You Ever Been Lonely?”

Although his residence was in Nashville, Tubb’s heart remained in his home state of Texas. One of his most popular recordings was “I’d Waltz Across Texas with You.” When he died in 1984, one admiring fan claimed Tubb’s heart was as big as the Lone Star State. “There’s Nothing More to Say” than Ernest Tubb was one of Country Music’s all-time greats.

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Dr. Tommy Stringer is executive director of the Navarro College Foundation