Merle Travis
Written by Dermot on Tuesday, 07 July 2009
It’s not often that you see the expression ‘renaissance man’ applied to country musicians, but if ever anyone deserved the accolade it has to be Merle Travis. Not content with being one of the finest guitar players to have ever lived, he was also an inspired songwriter, inventor and social commentator… not to mention a watch repairer, taxidermist, prose writer and cartoonist. Posessed with the quickest thumb in the west (and the east, south and north) Travis started out listening to a lot of black fingerpickers like Blind Blake, but went on to develop a truly unique style using just his thumb (with a thumbpick) and one finger.
It had big, full chords, it had lead and it had drive to die for. As the cliché goes, he was a ‘band in a box’. The style has come to be known as ‘Travis picking’.
Travis started playing in his native Kentucky, but then moved on to live and work in Hollywood recording lots of radio and stage shows and children’s TV…he even appeared in some B Westerns.
If you’re going to dig out any single period or tunes, go for some of the tracks off the Folk Songs of The Hills. It’s just Merle and his guitar, but he doesn’t need anyone else. Sixteen Tons and Dark as a Dungeon appeared here for the first time. Both tunes – which went on to become standards – highlight the hard lives of the miners in his native Kentucky. You can’t help but think how lucky he must have felt to escape it and the degree of sympathy he felt for those left behind.
Merle also sketched out the first design for 6-in-a-row tuner headstocks (as now seen on all Stratocasters). Legend has it that he drew the design on the back of a napkin for his friend while at lunch. Luckily enough, his friend happened to be Paul Bigsby (of Bigsby tremolo arm fame…and also a fine maker of pedal steel guitars, back in the day).
Travis was a huge (and acknowledged) influence on both Chet Atkins and Doc Watson. Both even named children after him. As Chet put in on the liner notes to one of his albums: "While I play alternate bass strings which sounds more like a stride piano style, Merle played two bass strings simultaneously on the one and three beats, producing a more exciting solo rhythm, in my opinion. It was somewhat reminiscent of the great old black players.”
Tragically, Merle Watson was to die in an accident, so Doc named a festival (Merlefest) after him. Merlefest is now – of course – one of the biggest dates on the bluegrass/roots calendar.
Unfortunately Travis went on to have some problems in his life (stories of drinking and fighting are knocking around) probably not helped by the fact that, despite his talents, he was profoundly insecure and suffered from crippling stage fright. Let us not remember his bad days, however, let us remember the good ones…Here’s to Merle!
Gear
Merle was mostly known for playing a Gibson Super 400 (a big, big jazz archtop guitar) and a Martin D28, fitted with the Bigsby ‘six in a row’ neck and headstock. He also played a Bigsby electric guitar.
Apart from guitars, apparently Merle wasn’t that bothered by gear. His son Thom Bresh (also a fine player) tells a story of how once his dad was asked what kind of strings he used. He turned around to the questioner (a young boy) and said “Why son, I use git-tar strings” …then smiled and walked off. He had no idea or interest in gauges, makes or anything else.
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