The Definitive Collection

Tubb, Ernest

album cover

The Best Way to Encounter the Texas Troubadour

The next time some airbrushed contemporary country star like Toby Keith attempts another half-baked revival of old-time honky-tonk music, haul out the hard stuff: the plain and oddly perfect recordings of Ernest Tubb (1914–1984).

Tubb's singles stand among the greatest examples of honky-tonk, that rowdy slice-of-life style that was born in the South and nurtured in Texas roadhouses in the 1930s. These are simple tunes studded with corny couplets about being in love, missing a lover, getting lost in drink. And they're defined by lonesome and deliciously succinct guitar melodies; Tubb was one of the first country artists to have a hit single backed by electric guitar (his 1940 break-through "Walking the Floor Over You"). Most of his subsequent works feature sparkling breaks from either Jimmy Short, steel guitarist Jerry Byrd, or Tommy "Butterball" Paige.

Central to the enterprise is Tubb's straightforward delivery. His voice is roughened and unremarkable, and he approaches these songs in an offhand way that's surprisingly endearing. He makes simplicity a virtue, singing about the tragedy of war ("Soldier's Last Letter") and the joy of a reunion ("It's Been So Long, Darling," one of several singles celebrating the end of World War II) with the same straightforward demeanor. With Tubb, there are no put-on airs, no frills, just the core of the song.

A sharecropper's son from Crisp, Texas, Tubb began his career openly emulating the blue yodels of Jimmie Rodgers, and got his break in 1936 when Rodgers's widow, Carrie, championed him. His nascent career was nearly derailed in 1939—he damaged his voice by singing too soon after a tonsillectomy. This proved a blessing: He couldn't yodel anymore, and his voice acquired the sandpapery, almost weary tone that defines his mature work. That sound, restored to full glory on this nicely remastered collection of Tubb's career peaks, enchanted country fans, led to a series of duets with Loretta Lynn (the best of them, "Mr. & Mrs. Used to Be," is here), and made him a fixture at the Grand Ole Opry for four decades. Despite all that, Tubb's star is in recession—he's one of those legends who has been overlooked by recent generations. That'll change. This is 100-proof music, too strong to be ignored for long.

Genre: Country
Released: 2006, MCA/Universal
Key Tracks: "Walking the Floor Over You," "Soldier's Last Letter," "Tomorrow Never Comes," "I Love You Because," "Mr. & Mrs. Used to Be," "Waltz Across Texas."
Catalog Choice: Live 1965
Next Stop: Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn: The Definitive Collection
After That: Lefty Frizzell: Look What Thoughts Can Do
Book Page: 788