DESCRIPTION

Tennessee Ernie Ford was one of country music's first crossover artists. A singer, actor, and television host, Ford's charm, personality, and humor earned him major success throughout the 1950s and '60s. Although his earliest musical hits were either country or boogie-woogie songs, he eventually established himself as an excellent singer of gospel music with the release of Hymns in 1956. It became one of the top-selling albums of all time, spending 277 weeks in the Billboard 200 chart and achieving platinum status; Ford continued with further gospel recordings over the following years and 1964's Great Gospel Songs won him a Grammy. His deep baritone held the right amount of both seriousness and warmth to carry these classic spiritual tunes, and this gospel period ended up being one of his most successful ventures. Fourteen tracks from that period are collected here on Amazing Grace: 14 Treasured Hymns.