Ernest Tubb was a great singer of the honky-tonk style. Can you tell me when he died and where he was from originally?
—Frank G., Illinois
The honky-tonk legend known as the Texas Troubadour was born in Crisp, Texas, in 1914. At age 15, he heard a record by Jimmie Rodgers, often referred to as the Father of Country Music. Tubb was floored by the music and immediately bought a guitar and learned how to play it. At age 22, he made a trip to meet Rodgers' widow, who was so impressed by the young musician that she gave him one of her husband's guitars and helped him get a recording session with a small record label. Though it took a while, Tubb's career finally took off, with his signature hit, Walking The Floor Over You, selling an amazing 400,000 copies in 1941. Tubb became a huge star and continued to perform until 1982, when declining health forced him off the road. "There's nothing I love more than singing for a live audience," he once said. He died from emphysema in 1984.
