Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Tennessee Ernie Ford sings It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, and then the cast sings He Is Born, Deck The Halls, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Adeste Fideles from his 1963 TV Special, The Story Of Christmas.
The Story of Christmas holiday special aired on NBC and featured musical performances by the Roger Wagner Chorale and Tennessee Ernie Ford plus a classic animated segment by Eyvind Earle youtu.be/ChT24k7Mw20, who also worked on Disney's Sleeping Beauty. It was the first hour-long, prime-time network TV special to air without commercial interruptions. The special was a critical and popular success.
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
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#tennesseeernieford #christmas #christmasmusic #christmassongs
Tennessee Ernie Ford sings It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, and then the cast sings He Is Born, Deck The Halls, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Adeste Fideles from his 1963 TV Special, The Story Of Christmas.
The Story of Christmas holiday special aired on NBC and featured musical performances by the Roger Wagner Chorale and Tennessee Ernie Ford plus a classic animated segment by Eyvind Earle youtu.be/ChT24k7Mw20, who also worked on Disney's Sleeping Beauty. It was the first hour-long, prime-time network TV special to air without commercial interruptions. The special was a critical and popular success.
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 #christmas #christmasmusic #christmassongs
