American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1983)

Merle Travis

Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, actor, and guitarist. Born in Rosewood, Kentucky, his songs' lyrics were often about the lives and the economic exploitation of American coal miners. Among his many well-known songs and recordings are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues", "I Am a Pilgrim", and "Dark as a Dungeon". He is best known today, though, for his unique guitar style, still called Travis picking by guitarists, as well as his interpretations of the rich musical traditions of his native Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.

Born

1917

November 29

Died

1983

Era

1910s

Country

—

About

Merle, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1917 Born
1983 Died

Also on November 29

What else happened on this day, through history

528 Antioch suffers its second major earthquake in two years, killing thousands and destroying its remaining edifice.
561 Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert I, Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I, divide the Frankish Kingdom.
618 The Tang dynasty scores a decisive victory over their rival Xue Rengao at the Battle of Qianshuiyuan.
903 The Abbasid army under Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Katib defeats the Qarmatians at the Battle of Hama.

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The world in 1917

When Merle arrived

april 12 World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.
april 16 Russian Revolution: Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd, Russia, from exile in Switzerland.
april 2 American entry into World War I: President Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
april 6 World War I: The United States declares war on Germany.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on November 29

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. 1908–1972 American pastor and politician (born 1908) Alex Grey 1953– American visual artist and author Andrija Artuković 1899–1988 Croatian politician, war criminal, and Porajmos perpetrator, first Minister of Interior of the Independent State of Croatia (born 1899) Artur Phleps 1881–1944 Romanian-German general (died 1944) Bill Freehan 1941– American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (died 2021) C. S. Lewis 1898–1963 British writer, literary scholar, and Anglican lay theologian (born 1898) Gaetano Donizetti 1797–1848 Italian composer (born 1797) James Rosenquist 1933–2017 American artist (born 1933) Joel Coen 1954– American director, producer, and screenwriter

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1917

Augusto Roa Bastos 1917–2005 Paraguayan journalist, author, and academic (born 1917) Cleveland Amory 1917–1998 American author and activist (born 1917) David Tomlinson 1917–2000 English actor and comedian (born 1917) Dinah Shore 1917–1994 American actress and singer (born 1916) Dizzy Gillespie 1917–1993 American singer-songwriter and trumpet player (born 1917) Domenico Bartolucci 1917–2013 Italian cardinal and composer (died 2013) Donald Davidson 1917–2003 American philosopher and academic (born 1917) El Santo 1917–1984 Mexican professional wrestler (born 1917) Fannie Lou Hamer 1917–1977 American activist and philanthropist (born 1917)

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More to explore

Merle's birthday November 29 Merle's zodiac Sagittarius When Merle arrived 1917