Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Andy Williams performs Charade on the 1964 special, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Hour.
Andy Williams was a popular American singer and television personality who recorded 43 albums, 15 of which went gold and 3 platinum. He was nominated for six Grammys and hosted The Andy Williams Show from 1962–1971. He and his brothers, Don, Bob, and Dick, formed the radio-performing quartet, The Williams Brothers. In the 1960s, Williams became a top vocalist and signed a record-breaking contract.
Tennessee Ernie Ford wasn’t the first artist to record “Sixteen Tons,” but he made it his signature. The song, inspired by the travails of the real-life coal miners of Kentucky, was first recorded by one of his forerunners on the Capitol label, Merle Travis, in 1947.
In 2015, Tennessee Ernie Ford's version of the song was recognized by the U.S. Library of Congress for its cultural significance, and it was also adopted into the National Recording Registry.
Watch Ernie perform Sixteen Tons on The Ford Show in 1956 here:
youtu.be/S1980WfKC0o
About Tennessee Ernie Ford
Born Ernest Jennings Ford on February 13th, 1919 in Bristol, Tennessee, Tennessee Ernie Ford has made an indelible impact on America and the world through his unparalleled accomplishments in radio, records and television.
Throughout his legendary career spanning over 50 years, Ernie Ford's early successes as a radio personality led to his signing with Capitol Records in 1949. Through 1976, he released a total of eighty-three albums on the label--and literally scores of single records, including his classic version of Merle Travis' timeless anthem to the working man, "Sixteen Tons"...at the time of its release, the fastest selling single in Capitol's history.
About The Ford Show
On Thursday night, October 4th, 1956, NBC premiered The Ford Show Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.
As prime-time's # 1 half-hour variety show for five years, The Ford Show featured all the ingredients of the top variety shows of the day; Hollywood's greatest guest stars, top-of-the-line production, and terrific music. But one simple element separated it from all others...Ernie closed virtually every show with a hymn, a spiritual or a song of faith. For the time, it was a bold and powerful statement for a popular entertainer of Ford's stature to be making on live television, especially in the face of the initial objections from Madison Avenue and the network. But it was a statement that would become the trademark of his career, and in many ways, the mark of his life. It would earn him the distinction of almost single-handedly bringing inspirational music into the mainstream of American entertainment...an enduring legacy of the lasting impact that one man's expression of faith can have on millions of people.
ernieford.com
facebook.com/tennesseeernieford
#tennesseeernieford #thefordshow #charade #andywilliams
Andy Williams performs Charade on the 1964 special, The Tennessee Ernie Ford Hour.
Andy Williams was a popular American singer and television personality who recorded 43 albums, 15 of which went gold and 3 platinum. He was nominated for six Grammys and hosted The Andy Williams Show from 1962–1971. He and his brothers, Don, Bob, and Dick, formed the radio-performing quartet, The Williams Brothers. In the 1960s, Williams became a top vocalist and signed a record-breaking contract.
Tennessee Ernie Ford wasn’t the first artist to record “Sixteen Tons,” but he made it his signature. The song, inspired by the travails of the real-life coal miners of Kentucky, was first recorded by one of his forerunners on the Capitol label, Merle Travis, in 1947.
In 2015, Tennessee Ernie Ford's version of the song was recognized by the U.S. Library of Congress for its cultural significance, and it was also adopted into the National Recording Registry.
Watch Ernie perform Sixteen Tons on The Ford Show in 1956 here:
youtu.be/S1980WfKC0o
About Tennessee Ernie Ford
Born Ernest Jennings Ford on February 13th, 1919 in Bristol, Tennessee, Tennessee Ernie Ford has made an indelible impact on America and the world through his unparalleled accomplishments in radio, records and television.
Throughout his legendary career spanning over 50 years, Ernie Ford's early successes as a radio personality led to his signing with Capitol Records in 1949. Through 1976, he released a total of eighty-three albums on the label--and literally scores of single records, including his classic version of Merle Travis' timeless anthem to the working man, "Sixteen Tons"...at the time of its release, the fastest selling single in Capitol's history.
About The Ford Show
On Thursday night, October 4th, 1956, NBC premiered The Ford Show Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.
As prime-time's # 1 half-hour variety show for five years, The Ford Show featured all the ingredients of the top variety shows of the day; Hollywood's greatest guest stars, top-of-the-line production, and terrific music. But one simple element separated it from all others...Ernie closed virtually every show with a hymn, a spiritual or a song of faith. For the time, it was a bold and powerful statement for a popular entertainer of Ford's stature to be making on live television, especially in the face of the initial objections from Madison Avenue and the network. But it was a statement that would become the trademark of his career, and in many ways, the mark of his life. It would earn him the distinction of almost single-handedly bringing inspirational music into the mainstream of American entertainment...an enduring legacy of the lasting impact that one man's expression of faith can have on millions of people.
ernieford.com
facebook.com/tennesseeernieford
#tennesseeernieford #thefordshow #charade #andywilliams
