GALLERY: Artists Who Served in the Military 13 of 15
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Image courtesy of RB / Redferns
After studying music at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Ernest Jennings Ford joined the air force during World War II where he flew missions over Japan. After being discharged in 1946, he developed the character of Tennessee Ernie while working as an announcer in San Bernardino, California. His most famous hit was 1955's "Sixteen Tons" and the entertainer was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
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