Sixteen Tons

"Sixteen Tons"
Song by Merle Travis
from the album Folk Songs of the Hills
B-side"Dark as a Dungeon"
ReleasedJune 1947 (1947-06)
RecordedAugust 8, 1946
StudioRadio Recorders, Los Angeles
GenreFolk
Length2:54
LabelCapitol Americana[1]
Songwriter(s)Merle Travis
Producer(s)Lee Gillette
Official audio
"Sixteen Tons" on YouTube

"Sixteen Tons" is a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.[2] Travis first recorded the song at the Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood, California, on August 8, 1946. Cliffie Stone played bass on the recording. It was first released in July 1947 by Capitol on Travis's album Folk Songs of the Hills.[3] The song became a gold record.

  1. ^ "Capitol 48000: Americana Album series 78rpm numerical listing discography". www.78discography.com. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "Sixteen Tons: The Story Behind the Legend". Tennessee Ernie Ford. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "Advance Record Releases". Billboard. June 28, 1947. p. 119.

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