Featured In
ALBUMI'm a Natural Born Gamblin' ManMerle Travis & The Renfro Valley Pioneers
Albums by Merle Travis
ALBUMI'm a Natural Born Gamblin' ManMerle Travis & The Renfro Valley Pioneers
ALBUMRough, Rowdy & BlueMerle Travis
ALBUMPickin' LiveMerle Travis
ALBUMThe Guitar Player, Singer and Composer (Remastered)Merle Travis
ALBUMLive (Recorded At San Francisco State College 1965)Merle Travis
ALBUMCountry Music's 2 Guitar Greats Merle Travis & Joe MaphisMerle Travis & Joe Maphis
ALBUMSixteen Tons, The Kentucky LegendMerle Travis
ALBUMThe Very BestMerle Travis
ALBUMTravis Pickin'Merle Travis
ALBUMCountry Guitar GiantsJoe Maphis & Merle Travis
Artist Biography
One of the most influential country guitarists, Merle Travis inaugurated a cross-picking style of guitar playing in the 1930s and '40s that was forever after known as “Travis picking” and became a standard technique in country, folk, and rock. His guitar mastery sometimes overshadows his songwriting; born in Kentucky mining country, Travis wrote the miner's laments “Dark as a Dungeon” and “Sixteen Tons,” both of which became country standards. Travis made his final recordings for the CMH label in the late '70s and died of a heart attack in 1983.
Hometown
Rosewood, KY, United States
Genre
Country