View source for Tennessee Ernie Ford

{{short description|American singer and TV personality (1919–1991)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Tennessee Ernie Ford
| image            = File:Tennessee Ernie Ford 1957.JPG
| caption          = Ford in 1957
| birth_name       = Ernest Jennings Ford
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1919|2|13}}
| birth_place      = [[Bristol, Tennessee]], US
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1991|10|17|1919|2|13}}
| death_place      = [[Reston, Virginia]], US
| instrument       = {{flatlist|
* [[human voice|Vocals]]
* [[acoustic guitar]]
* [[harmonica]]
* [[piano]]
}}
| genre            = {{flatlist|
* [[Country music|Country]]
* [[pop music|pop]]
* [[gospel music|gospel]]
}}
| occupation       = {{flatlist|
* [[Musician]]
* actor
}}
| years_active     = 1949–1991
| label            = [[Capitol Records]], [[Word Records]]
| past_member_of  = {{flatlist| 
* [[Eddy Arnold]]
* [[Dean Martin]]
* [[Glen Campbell]]
* [[Johnny Cash]]
* [[Kay Starr]]
}}
}}

'''Ernest Jennings Ford''' (February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991),<ref name="Obit"/>  known professionally as '''Tennessee Ernie Ford''', was an American singer and television host who enjoyed success in the [[Country music|country and western]], [[Pop music|pop]], and [[Gospel music|gospel]] musical genres. Noted for his rich [[bass-baritone]] voice and [[wikt:down-home|down-home]] humor, he is remembered for his hit recordings of "[[The Shotgun Boogie]]" and "[[Sixteen Tons]]".

==Biography==
===Early years===
Ford was born in [[Fordtown, Tennessee]], United States, to Maud (née Long) and Clarence Thomas Ford.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://tnency.utk.tennessee.edu/entries/tennessee-ernie-ford/| title=Ford, Ernie "Tennessee"|website=Tnency.utk.tennessee.edu}}</ref> He spent much of his time in his early years listening to country or western musicians, in person or on the radio.<ref name="Country Music">{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d18K8QWcEo8C&dq=%22Tennessee+Ernie+Ford%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA163| isbn=978-0-3122-6487-1| title=Country Music: The Encyclopedia| date=July 14, 2000| publisher=Macmillan| first1=Irwin| last1=Stambler| first2=Grelun| last2=Landon}}</ref>

Ford began wandering around [[Bristol, Tennessee]] in his high school years, taking an interest in radio and began his radio career as an announcer at [[WOPI (AM)|WOPI]] in 1937, being paid 10 dollars a week. In 1938, the young [[bass-baritone]] left the station and went to study classical music at the [[Cincinnati Conservatory of Music]] in [[Ohio]]. He returned for the announcing job in 1939 and did it from 1939 to 1941 in stations from [[Atlanta, GA]] to [[Knoxville, TN]]. A [[first lieutenant]], he served in the [[United States Army Air Corps]] in [[World War II]] as the [[Bombardier (air force)|bombardier]] on a [[B-29 Superfortress]], but the war ended before he was to be sent to [[Japan]].<ref>From 'River of No Return" 2009 by Jeffrey Buckner Ford, his oldest son.</ref> He was also a bombing instructor at [[George Air Force Base]], in [[Victorville, California]].<ref name="Country Music"/><ref name=Billboard>{{cite book |last=Bronson |first=Fred |title=The Billboard Book of Number One Hits |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PgGqNrqfrsoC&dq=tennessee+ernie+ford+bombing+instructor&pg=PP19 |publisher=Billboard Books |date=2003 |isbn=978-0-8230-7677-2 |access-date=March 29, 2016}}</ref>

After the war, Ford worked at radio stations in [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]] and [[Pasadena, California]]. At [[KTIE|KFXM]], in San Bernardino, Ford was hired as a radio announcer. He was assigned to host an early morning country music disc jockey program, ''Bar Nothin' Ranch Time''. To differentiate himself, he created the personality of "Tennessee Ernie", a wild, madcap, exaggerated hillbilly. He became popular in the area and was soon hired away by Pasadena's country radio station [[KWVE (AM)#History|KXLA]]. He also did musical tours. The Mayfield Brothers of [[West Texas]], including [[Smokey Mayfield]], [[Thomas Edd Mayfield]], and [[Herbert Mayfield]], were among Ford's warmup bands, having played for him in concerts in [[Amarillo, Texas|Amarillo]] and [[Lubbock, Texas|Lubbock]], during the late 1940s.<ref name=Billboard/><ref name=npr/>
[[File:Lucille Ball Tennessee Ernie Ford I Love Lucy.jpg|thumb|right|Ford appeared as "Cousin Ernie" in three episodes of ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' in 1954 and 1955. He is pictured here with [[Lucille Ball]] from his first episode "Tennessee Ernie Visits" (1954).]]
At KXLA, Ford continued doing the same show and also joined the cast of [[Cliffie Stone]]'s popular live KXLA country show ''Dinner Bell Roundup'' as a vocalist while still doing the early morning broadcast. Cliffie Stone, a part-time [[talent scout]] for [[Capitol Records]], brought him to the attention of the label. In 1949, while still doing his morning show, he signed a contract with Capitol. He became a local TV star as the star of Stone's popular Southern California ''[[Hometown Jamboree]]'' show. [[Ralph D. Foster|RadiOzark]] produced 260 15-minute episodes of ''The Tennessee Ernie Show'' on [[Acetate discs|transcription disks]] for national radio syndication.<ref>''Billboard'' magazine, November 7, 1953, p. 3</ref>

He released almost 50 country [[single (music)|singles]] through the early 1950s, several of which made the [[Billboard charts|''Billboard'']] charts. Many of his early records, including "[[The Shotgun Boogie]]" and "Blackberry Boogie", were exciting, driving boogie-woogie records featuring accompaniment by the 'Hometown Jamboree' band, which included [[Jimmy Bryant]] on lead guitar and pioneer pedal steel guitarist [[Speedy West]]. "[[I'll Never Be Free]]", a duet pairing Ford with Capitol Records pop singer [[Kay Starr]],<ref name=pc2>{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19746/m1 |title=Show 2 – Play A Simple Melody: American pop music in the early 1950s [Part 2]}}</ref> became a huge country and pop crossover hit in 1950. A duet with [[Ella Mae Morse]], "False Hearted Girl" was a top seller for the Capitol Country and Hillbilly division.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tR8EAAAAMBAJ|title=Billboard|page=Front cover|date=October 4, 1952|access-date=August 6, 2021|via=Google Books}}</ref>

Ford eventually ended his KXLA morning show and in the early 1950s, moved on from ''Hometown Jamboree''. He took over from bandleader [[Kay Kyser]] as host of the TV version of [[NBC]] [[quiz show]] ''[[Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge#Television|College of Musical Knowledge]]'' when it returned briefly in 1954 after a four-year hiatus.<ref>{{cite news| title=Television: Color Goes Thataway;...| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/07/07/archives/television-color-goes-thataway-gene-autry-in-natural-tints-seen-on.html?searchResultPosition=1| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| first=Jack| last=Gould| author-link=Jack Gould| date=July 7, 1954| page=28| access-date=August 6, 2024| url-access=subscription}}</ref> He became a household name in the U.S., largely as a result of his portrayal of "Cousin Ernie" in the ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' episodes "Tennessee Ernie Visits", "Tennessee Ernie Hangs On" (both 1954) and "Tennessee Bound" (1955).<ref>{{cite news|last=Long|first=Kasy|url=https://screenrant.com/best-celebrity-guest-stars-i-love-lucy/|title=10 Best Celebrity Guest Stars On I Love Lucy, Ranked|website=Screenrant.com|date=May 13, 2021|access-date=December 30, 2024}}</ref> In 1955, Ford recorded "[[The Ballad of Davy Crockett]]" (which reached number 4 on the country music chart) with "Farewell to the Mountains" on the [[B-side]].

=== "Sixteen Tons" cover version success ===
[[File:Sixteen Tons.jpg|right|frame|''Sixteen Tons'' album cover]]
Ford scored an unexpected hit on the pop chart in 1955 with his rendering of "[[Sixteen Tons]]", a sparsely arranged coal-miner's lament. [[Merle Travis]] had first recorded it in 1946. It reflected experiences of the Travis family in the mines at [[Muhlenberg County, Kentucky]].<ref>The song's authorship is attributed to Travis by [[Broadcast Music Incorporated|BMI]] on the recording itself, and in virtually all reference works. [[George S. Davis]], however, claimed that his similar song was its original basis.</ref> The song's fatalistic tone and bleak imagery were in stark contrast to some sugary pop ballads and [[rock & roll]] also on the charts in 1955:

{{poemquote|
You load sixteen tons, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
[[Saint Peter]], don't you call me, 'cause I can't go;
I owe my soul to the [[company store]]...<ref name=pc9>{{Pop Chronicles|9|2}}</ref><ref name=tribute/>
}}

With Ford's snapping fingers<ref name=pc9/><ref name=tribute>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/-UAfi7dFO8A Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20201114202206/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UAfi7dFO8A&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UAfi7dFO8A|title=Tennessee Ernie Ford Tribute 2|date=May 19, 2010 |access-date=August 6, 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement by Ford's music director, Jack Fascinato, "Sixteen Tons" spent ten weeks at number one on the country chart and seven weeks at number one on the pop chart. The record sold over two million copies, and was awarded a [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book |last=Murrells |first=Joseph |title=The Book of Golden Discs |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/136 |url-access=registration |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd |location=London |edition=2nd |year=1978 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/136 136] |isbn=978-0-2142-0512-5}}</ref> The song made Ford a crossover star, and became his [[signature song]].

===''The Ford Show''===
{{main|The Ford Show}}
Ford subsequently hosted his own prime-time variety program, ''[[The Ford Show]]'', which ran on [[NBC]] television from October 4, 1956, to June 29, 1961. Ford's last name allowed the show title to carry a unique [[double entendre]] by selling the [[naming rights]] to the [[Ford Motor Company]] (Ford had no known relation to the [[Ford family tree|Ford family]] who founded that company). The ''[[Ford Theatre]]'', an anthology series also sponsored by the company, had run in the same time slot on NBC in the preceding 1955–1956 season. Ford's program was notable for the inclusion of a religious song at the end of every show, a tradition he recalled during his days as a cast member on [[Cliffie Stone]]'s ''[[Hometown Jamboree]]'' live radio and TV show. Ford insisted on ending with a hymn on his own show despite objections from network officials and the ad agency representing Ford, who feared it might provoke controversy. Everyone relented after the hymns received overwhelmingly favorable viewer response. The hymn became the most popular segment of his show. He earned the nickname "The Ol' Pea-Picker" due to his catchphrase, "Bless your pea-pickin' heart!" He began using the term during his disc jockey days on KXLA.<ref name="Country Music"/><ref name=country>{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Bobby |title=Tennessee Ernie Ford: Country Music Star Turned Multi-Media Success Story |url=https://www.wideopencountry.com/tennessee-ernie-ford/ |work=Wide Open Country |date=May 19, 2020 |access-date=May 22, 2020}}</ref>

=== Later years ===
In 1956, he released ''[[Hymns (Tennessee Ernie Ford album)|Hymns]]'', his first [[gospel music]] album, which remained on ''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]''{{'}}s Top Album charts for 277 consecutive weeks; his album ''Great Gospel Songs'' won a [[Grammy Award]] in 1964 and was nominated for several others.<ref name=npr>{{cite news |title=On 'Portrait Of An American Singer,' Tennessee Ernie Ford's Early Songs Shine |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/01/16/463085691/on-portrait-of-an-american-singer-tennessee-ernie-fords-early-songs-shine |date=January 16, 2016 |access-date=May 22, 2020|publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref><ref name=angeles/> After the NBC show ended, Ford moved his family to [[Portola Valley, California|Portola Valley]] in northern California. He also owned a cabin near Grandjean, [[Idaho]], on the upper South Fork of the [[Payette River]], where he would regularly retreat.<ref name="Country Music"/> In 1961, he recorded two albums of [[American Civil War]] songs, one for songs of the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and another for songs of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]].

From 1962 to 1965, Ford hosted a daytime talk/variety show, ''The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show'' (later known as ''Hello, Peapickers'') from [[KGO-TV]] in San Francisco, broadcast over the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] television network. In 1968, Ford narrated the [[Rankin/Bass]] [[Thanksgiving]] TV special ''[[The Mouse on the Mayflower]]'' for [[NBC-TV|NBC]]. The mouse narrator seen at the beginning of the special, William the Churchmouse, was a caricature of Ford, in keeping with a Rankin/Bass tradition. Ford was the spokesman for the Pontiac Furniture Company in [[Pontiac, Illinois]], in the 1970s. He also became the spokesman for [[Martha White]] brand flour in 1972.

Although he left his own TV show, he went on other shows like ''[[Hee Haw]]'' in the 1970s,  ''[[Dolly (1976 series)|The Dolly Show]]'' and on ''[[Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters]]'' in the early 1980s.<ref name=angeles/>

Ford left Capitol Records in 1975. By that time, the quality of his country albums had become uneven and none of his releases were selling well. He would never record for a major label again.<ref name=country/>

Ford's experiences as a navigator and bombardier instructor in World War II led to his involvement with the Confederate Air Force (now the [[Commemorative Air Force]]), a war plane preservation group in Texas. He was a featured announcer and celebrity guest at the annual CAF Airshow in [[Harlingen, Texas]], from 1976 to 1988. He donated a once-top-secret [[Norden bombsight]] to the CAF's B-29 bomber restoration project. In the late 1970s, as a CAF colonel, Ford recorded the organization's theme song "Ballad of the Ghost Squadron".

Over the years, Ford was awarded three stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], for [[radio]], [[Record industry|records]], and [[television]]. He was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 1984, and was inducted into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] in 1990.<ref name=angeles>{{cite news|title=Tennessee Ernie Ford|url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/tennessee-ernie-ford/|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

Out of the public eye, Ford and wife Betty contended with serious alcohol problems; Betty had the problem since the 1950s, as well as emotional issues that complicated both their lives and the lives of their sons. Though his drinking began to worsen in the 1960s, he worked continuously, seemingly unaffected by his heavy intake of [[whiskey]]. By the 1970s, however, it had begun to take an increasing toll on his health, appearance and ability to sing, though his problems were not known publicly. After Betty took her own life in 1989 because of prescription drug abuse, Ernie's liver problems, diagnosed years earlier, became more apparent, but he refused to reduce his drinking despite repeated doctors' warnings. His last interview was taped on September 23, 1991, by his long-time friend [[Dinah Shore]] for her TV show, and was later aired on December 4 that year.<ref>{{cite news| title=Tennessee Ernie's Last Interview Will Be Broadcast Dec. 4| url=https://apnews.com/ccd6957bd147ed49a1f242828b51c2d4| date=November 4, 1991| work=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com/tennessee-ernie-fords-overwhelming-success-led-to-his-later-downfall-son-says/|title=Tennessee Ernie Ford's Overwhelming Success Led to His Later Downfall, Son Says| date=2018-04-08| access-date=2020-05-23| website=The Life and Time of Hollywood| last=Spell| first=Lurah| archive-date=August 9, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809014802/https://thelifeandtimesofhollywood.com/tennessee-ernie-fords-overwhelming-success-led-to-his-later-downfall-son-says/| url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ford received posthumous recognition for his gospel music contributions by being added to the [[Gospel Music Association]]'s [[Gospel Music Hall of Fame]] in 1994.<ref name=npr/>

== Personal life ==
[[File:Ernie and Betty Ford at home 1962.JPG|thumb|upright|Ernie and Betty Ford at home in 1962]]
Ford was married to Betty Heminger from September 18, 1942, until her death on February 26, 1989. They had two sons: Jeffrey Buckner "Buck" Ford (born 1950); and Brion Leonard Ford (born 1952, in [[San Gabriel, California]]), who died on October 24, 2008, in [[White House, Tennessee]], of lung cancer, aged 56. In 1980 Ford lived in the Smoke Tree neighborhood of [[Palm Springs, California#Neighborhoods|Palm Springs, California]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Meeks |first=Eric G. |title=The Best Guide Ever to Palm Springs Celebrity Homes |publisher=Horatio Limburger Oglethorpe |date=2014 |orig-year=2012 |pages=305–306, 309 |isbn=978-1479328598}}</ref>

Less than four months after Betty's death in 1989, Ford married again. On September 28, 1991, he suffered severe [[liver failure]] at [[Dulles Airport]], shortly after leaving a [[state dinner]] at the [[White House]], hosted by then-President [[George H. W. Bush]]. Ford died in H. C. A. Reston Hospital Center, in [[Reston, Virginia]], on October 17.<ref name="Obit">{{cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |title=Tennessee Ernie Ford Dies at 72; Folksy Singer Recorded '16 Tons' |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6D6103CF93BA25753C1A967958260 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 18, 1991 |access-date=December 27, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Country Music"/> Ford was interred at [[Alta Mesa Memorial Park]] in [[Palo Alto, California]].

His second wife, Beverly Wood Ford (1921–2001), died 10 years after Ernie; her body was interred with his.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9eEPAQAAQBAJ&dq=tennessee+ernie+alta+mesa&pg=PA317| title=The Tombstone Tourist: Musicians| first=Scott| last=Stanton| page=317| date=September 6, 2003| publisher=Simon and Schuster| isbn=978-0-7434-6330-0| access-date=August 6, 2021| via=Google Books}}</ref>

Ford was a member of the [[Pi Kappa Alpha]] fraternity, Epsilon Zeta chapter at [[East Tennessee State University]] as well as the [[Bohemian Club]].

==Discography==
{{main|Tennessee Ernie Ford discography}}
'''Albums'''
{{div col}}
* ''This Lusty Land!'' (1956)
* ''[[Hymns (Tennessee Ernie Ford album)|Hymns]]'' (1956)
* ''Spirituals'' (1957)
* ''Ford Favorites''
* ''Ol' Rockin' Ern'''
* ''Nearer the Cross'' (1958)
* ''The Star Carol'' (1958)
* ''Gather 'Round'' (1959)
* ''A Friend We Have'' (1959)
* ''Sing a Hymn with Me'' (1960)
* ''Sixteen Tons'' (1960)
* ''Sing a Spiritual with Me'' (1960)
* ''Come to the Fair'' (1960)
* ''Civil War Songs of the North'' (1961)
* ''Civil War Songs of the South'' (1961)
* ''Looks at Love'' (1961)
* ''Hymns at Home'' (1961)
* ''Mississippi Showboat'' (1962)
* ''I Love to Tell the Story'' (1962)
* ''Book of Favorite Hymns'' (1962)
* ''Long, Long Ago'' (1963)
* ''We Gather Together'' (1963)
* ''Story of Christmas'' (1963)
* ''Great Gospel Songs'' (1964)
* ''Country Hits Feelin' Blue'' (1964)
* ''World's Best Loved Hymns'' (1964)
* ''Let Me Walk with Thee'' (1965)
* ''Sing We Now of Christmas'' (1965)
* ''My Favorite Things'' (1966)
* ''Wonderful Peace'' (1966)
* ''God Lives'' (1966)
* ''Bless Your Pea Pickin' Heart'' (1966)
* ''Aloha'' (1967)
* ''Faith of Our Fathers'' (1967)
* ''Our Garden of Hymns'' <small>(w/ [[Marilyn Horne]])</small> (1968)
* ''World of Pop and Country Hits'' (1968)
* ''O Come All Ye Faithful'' (1968)
* ''The Best of Tennessee Ernie Ford Hymns'' (1968)
* ''Songs I Like to Sing'' (1969)
* ''New Wave'' (1969)
* ''Holy, Holy, Holy'' (1969)
* ''America the Beautiful'' (1970)
* ''Everything Is Beautiful'' (1970)
* ''Abide with Me'' (1971)
* ''C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S'' (1971)
* ''Folk Album'' (1971)
* ''Mr. Words and Music'' (1972)
* ''Standin' in the Need of Prayer'' (1972)
* ''Country Morning'' (1973)
* ''Ernie Ford Sings About Jesus'' (1973)
* ''Make A Joyful Noise'' (1974)
* ''[[Ernie Sings & Glen Picks]]'' <small>(w/ [[Glen Campbell]])</small> (1975)
* ''Sing His Great Love'' (1976)
* ''For the 83rd Time'' (1976)
* ''He Touched Me'' (1977)
* ''Swing Wide Your Golden Gate'' (1978)
* ''Ramblin' Down Country Roads With Tennessee Ernie Ford '' (1979)
* ''Tell Me the Old, Old Story'' (1980)
* ''There's A Song In My Heart'' (1982)
* "Back Where I Belong" (1982)
* ''Sunday School Songs For Children of All Ages'' (1983)
* ''Keep Looking Up'' (1984)
* ''6000 Sunset Boulevard: Featuring The Billy Liebert Band'' (2009)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{portal|Biography}}
* [http://www.ernieford.com/ Tennessee Ernie Ford Official Website]
* [http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/tag/river-of-no-return/ Sixteen Tons – The Story Behind the Legend]
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p1611}}
* {{IMDb name|0285892}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL_MrH_Hkfk Tennessee Ernie Ford visit Drury College (1960)]

{{Tennessee Ernie Ford}}
{{1990s Country Music Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Ernie}}
[[Category:1919 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:American bass-baritones]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American game show hosts]]
[[Category:American gospel singers]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American Methodists]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Television personalities from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Capitol Records artists]]
[[Category:Country Music Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Music of East Tennessee]]
[[Category:People from Bristol, Tennessee]]
[[Category:People from Palm Springs, California]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Southern gospel performers]]
[[Category:Tennessee Republicans]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Forces officers]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Radio personalities from Los Angeles]]
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[[Category:Deaths from liver failure in the United States]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from California]]
[[Category:American aviators]]