One of my favorite albums that often finds its way to my turntable is Tennessee Ernie Ford’s This Lusty Land! You might have heard of his famous version of the song “Sixteen Tons.” In 1956, he released this fantastic album as his first LP (long playing record).  Tennessee Ernie had a long career, recording many albums all the way into the 1980s. Throughout his time recording, he used an incredible arranger named Jack Fascinato. Jack loved to experiment with unique voicings and instrumentation in his arrangements. Listening through much of his music, I notice his love for the woodwind family, notably the bass clarinet. Fascinato scored or arranged several animated or film inserts for Sesame Street as well. This album is a incredible debut album of these two greats, filled with classic folk and country songs.

Fun Fact: Ford served in the United States Army in World War II. He also hosted his own television show for 5 years.

Listen for: The beautiful instrumentation behind Tennessee’s deep voice. I love some of the flute lines that Jack arranged. Also listen for how the song changes keys throughout the song. The final verse has a great payoff with Tennessee singing down in the basement.

Hope you enjoy!

Who’s gonna shoe your pretty little feet
Who’s gonna glove your little hands
Who’s gonna kiss your ruby red lips
When I’m in a foreign land

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My name is Michael Sanchez and I’m an avid record collector and obscure song searcher. My goal is to post one song a day that’s been on my stereo/turntable frequently. If you don’t like the song… too bad 🙂 I do.

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