Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917–October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons" and "Dark as a Dungeon". However, it is his masterful guitar playing and his interpretations of the rich musical traditions of his native Muhlenberg County, Kentucky that he is best known for today. "Travis picking", a syncopated style of finger picking, is named after him. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1977.
Bond was born in Enville, Oklahoma. He got his first break working for Jimmy Wakely in the late 1930s and went on to join Gene Autry's Melody Ranch in 1940. He also acted on occasion in films including Wilson and Duel in the Sun; and was later a regular on the 1950s Los Angeles country music television series Town Hall Party.
He is best known for his 1947 hit "Divorce Me C.O.D.", one of his seven top ten hits on the Billboard country charts. In 1965 at age 50 he scored the biggest hit of his career with the comic "Ten Little Bottles", which spent four weeks at number two. Bond's other hits include "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed" (1947), "Oklahoma Waltz" (1948), "Love Song in 32 Bars" (1950), "Sick Sober and Sorry" (1951) and "Hot Rod Lincoln" (1960).
He died of a heart attack in 1978, at the age of 63. Bond was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1999, and to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Because this tape is sealed new and we cannot inspect for play-ability, we offer no warranty or guarantees on how well this tape will perform once it is opened and removed from the cellophane package. Because this sealed new 8-track tape is very old, the foam pad and glue on the foil splice most often has a tendency to deteriorate over many years of time. Always inspect and replace if necessary those items before playing any sealed new 8-track tape, or damage to the tape and player may occur.
If you would like this new sealed tape gently opened and inspected for play-ability with a new pad and foil splice added, please go to "New 8-track tape repair" in the New 8-track tape category and we will gladly perform the work for you. Please be sure to select the number of repairs needed for the amount of sealed tapes you are purchasing.
