Ernest Tubb: The Texas Troubadour FROM THE PUBLISHER
In this definitive biography of Ernest Tubb, Ronnie Pugh brings one of country music's greatest performers back to center stage. Tracing a career that began in the 1930s and continued until just a few years before Tubb's death in 1984, Pugh presents not only the long and legendary life of the Texas Troubadour but also an unparalleled view of the world of country music in which Ernest Tubb played an essential part. Tubb began his career as an imitator of Jimmie Rodgers, but stormed the country music scene in the 1940s with a new honky-tonk sound and a string of hits that included "Walking the Floor Over You." His innovations marked an important transition in country music to a style and lyric in tune with modern American working people, one that offered the real-life themes of hard drinking, divorce, tough times, and ruined lives - changes that helped define the music we recognize today as "country." A member of the Grand Ole Opry until 1982, Tubb hosted a live radio broadcast from the Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville for years and became one of the first country music stars to host his own television show in the mid-1960s. Always popular and on the road much of the time even after his prime hit-making years had ended, he was well-known for promoting the careers of many new performers on the rise. Delving into fan club journals, songbooks, newspaper broadcast logs, record company files, and hundreds of interviews, Ronnie Pugh draws a picture of Tubb - exploring both his personal and professional life - that is unprecedented in its intimacy, detail, and vitality. We get a close-up view of Tubb riding the crest of his popularity, setting the pace for Nashville, facing the onslaught of Elvis Presley and rock 'n' roll, and surviving as a country music legend. Richly illustrated with almost a hundred photographs, many of which are rare unpublished shots from private collections, Ernest Tubb also contains a detailed and complete sessionography, a resource that wil
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In the preface to this biography of the Texas Troubadour, author Pugh remarks that what first impressed him about the late Ernest Tubb was his "sheer staying power." Clearly it was perseverance that sustained Tubb through his five-decade career. During his initial climb to stardom, Tubb successfully dealt with the setbacks of poorly organized recording sessions and war (which limited the supply of shellac for the production of record albums), later managing to survive the introduction of rock and roll to the music scene. All the while, Tubb battled drinking, illness and broken relationships. The author does not dwell on Tubb's personal problems, however. Nor does he skimp on the events that led the East Texas native to become famous for such well-known hits as "Waltz Across Texas" and "Walking the Floor Over You." Amusing and illuminating anecdotes abound, including those about Tubb's admiration for Jimmie Rodgers and the early assistance provided Tubb by the legendary singer's widow, Carrie Rodgers, who asked in return simply that Tubb do the same for others. The "others" Tubb wound up assisting via his radio show "Midnite Jamboree," which still exists today, and his connections with the Grand Ole Opry, include Elvis Presley and Hank Williams. Though much has been written about the Texas Troubadour, this book provides ample insight into his entire career and an equally ample discography. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)
Library Journal
Tubb (1914-84) came from a humble background in Crisp, Texas, where his father was an overseer of a cotton farm. Growing up, Tubb was exposed to the music of Jimmie Rodgers. When Rodgers died, Tubb, a dedicated fan who had just started his own music career, felt he should carry on the Rodgers legacy. Even though he was heavily influenced by Rodgers, Tubb eventually became a legend himself, influencing the direction and growth of country music. Through Tubb's persuasion, the name "hillbilly" was dropped by the music industry in favor of "country music." Through Tubb's insistence a separate category of country music appeared on the charts in some of the trade magazines. Likewise, it was Tubb who paved the way for acceptance of country through his successful 1947 appearance at New York City's Carnegie Hall. Pugh, head of reference at the Country Music Foundation in Nashville, has produced an excellent biography of Tubb. Recommended for libraries with American music collections.Kathleen Sparkman, Baylor Univ., Waco, Tex.
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