The Best of Merle Travis: Sweet Temptation 1946-1953  (Audio CD) 
by Merle Travis

Merle Travis made everything he did sound so effortless that it's easy to overlook his considerable gifts. Travis is best remembered today for the distinctive finger-picking-guitar style that often bears his name: "Travis picking," learned initially from the home folks in Kentucky, allows players to accompany their lead lines (picked with the index finger) with their own bass support (provided by the thumb). And while Travis certainly impressed with this technique, he was also a droll and resourceful songwriter and an easy-going and appealing singer. The combination of his talents resulted in a spry musical style that fused appealing pop melodies with touches of jazz improvisation and early honky-tonk. Travis had a hand in writing 15 of the 20 tracks here (exceptions include two Jimmie Rodgers covers, the traditional blues "Dry Bread," and a guitar showcase on the standard "I'll See You in My Dreams"), and most of the originals conform to this jovial formula, often featuring trumpet and accordion. He's supported along the way by many of Southern California's finest players of the day such as steel guitarists Speedy West, Joaquin Murphey, and Noel Boggs, and six-stringers Joe Maphis, Roy Lanham, and Johnny Weis. His most famous composition, however, remains the coal-miner's lament "Sixteen Tons," a tune that many assume is a traditional folk song but is in fact a Travis creation, heard here in a solo-acoustic performance. --Marc Greilsamer