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Writer's pictureDevin Norton

Merle Travis

Updated: May 2, 2023

Country and Western singer, songwriter and guitarist known for songs which discussed the lives and the economic exploitation of American coal miners.


Born in Rosewood, Kentucky in November of 1917, Merle developed a guitar picking style known as “Travis picking”. This is a syncopated style of guitar alternating chords and bass notes.


His native Rosewood is situated in southwest Kentucky within Muhlenberg County. The town was named for the abundance of rosewood in the region.


Merle Travis tracks to check out: Nine Pound Hammer, Cannonball Rag, Dark As A Dungeon

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