Merle Travis Guitar Cannon Ball Rag LIVE

Legendary finger style guitar player MERLE TRAVIS performed on "The Ronnie Prophet Show" January 29, 1978

Merle was ill all week while in Toronto, Canada. During the afternoon rehearsals for the show, Merle almost cancelled, but decided at the last minute to do the 2 different "Ronnie Prophet" shows. He wasn't 100% but still gave a great performance! He played four solo instrumentals and then a duet with Ronnie.

Ronnie Prophet was on national television for over fifteen years. His series "GRAND OLD COUNTRY" and "THE RONNIE PROPHET SHOW" as seen nationally across Canada, Great Britain and Australia every week featuring some of the top US and Canadian country music artists.

Just scroll down the list of clips we've already uploaded and you'll see a "who's who" of country talent.

From Ronnie's show on CBC - The Canadian Broadcasting Company in September of 1975, featuring Dolly Parton and Ferlin Huskey, Ronnie brought his co-stars from his world tours. Ronnie performed around the world on the same bill with Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, The Everly Brothers and many others.

Ronnie also owned and played at "Ronnie Prophet's Carousel Club" on Nashville's Printer's Alley, where he often had many of the stars that were on his TV show come up and jam with him late nites in Nashville.

His office on "MUSIC ROW" in Nashville was across the street from his best friend and mentor CHET ATKINS. He lived in Hendersonville (Tennessee) and Franklin just a block or two from Minnie Pearl, Naomi Judd, Dottie West and scores of other Nashville Stars.

In 1998, after urging from his friends Mel Tillis, Boxcar Willie and Larry Gatlin, Ronnie sold his offices, studios and home in Nashville and moved to Branson Missouri to peform his shows in "The Live Music Capital of The World.

In the past five years Ronnie and his beautiful wife Glory-Anne continue to tour the U.S., Canada and Europe, including dates in Scotland, at The Calgary Stampede, and a 40 city tour with his friend George Jones.

Branson Music Factory's executive producer has worked with Ronnie since 1992, and was honored when Ronnie brought over two truckloads of his master tapes from Toronto and Nashville.

We've been carefully transferring and preserving these treasures and will share many of them here.

You may also visit our wesite at http://bransonmusicfactory.com and http://ronnieprophet.com for more videos and downloads.

Thanks!

For more Merle Travis and other live performances, pleas visit http://bransonmusicfactory.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• merle
• Travis
• Finger
• style
• guitar
• live
• instrumental

[laiosto]

Like Django, Merle shows that you only need 2 fingers to play as fast and clean as you want

[delpuckett]

you gotta wait until 2:10 for Cannonball Rag

[guibox3]

Just goes to show you don't need all your bloody fingers to do fingerstyle. This was how I first learned and people couldn't believe I only used two fingers and make it sound like more. Since those early days I've only incorporated my index and middle fingers with my thumb. It's served me well all these years.

[jumba5]

Merle Travis INVENTED fingerpicking? okay guy... Black musicians like Rev. Gary Davis and Blind Blake were playing this kind of syncopated fingerstyle before Merle Travis picked up a guitar and they were playing tunes that were far more complex that those by Travis. Don't get me wrong, Merle Travis is great and I do love that "Cannonball Rag" but I believe in giving credit where credit is due and I don't think Blind Blake, Gary Davis, Blind Lemon Jefferson, etc get enough of it.

[Nekroguitar]

The 70's and country combined created what has to be the world's worst style of fashion etc known to man!

[Batman001]

no notice on that the first tune is 9 pound hammer?

[guitaneman]

django reinhardt invented finger picking and he didnt even use his fingers he used a pick i guess merle travis was influenced by django anybody don't know what i am talking about check mystery pacific by django Reinhardt

[asxefv]

this guy is awesome

[anotherbowman]

Merle came to my Air Force base back in the 60s and played at the NCO club. I missed the first set and during a break between sets I asked him if he would play and sing THAT'S ALL. He said he played it in the first set but would play it again for me...and he did. Great picker....he also wrote a little message for my dad who is one of his greatest fan. I'll never forget it!

[moproducer]

@AgentZeroForTheWin Hey, if you got Django & His Two Fingers together with Merle & His Two Fingers, you'd have Django, Merle And Their Four Fabulous Fingers.

[countryclassic]

Damn...he was so great!!!