Sixteen Tons
| "Sixteen Tons" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Merle Travis | |
| from the album Folk Songs of the Hills | |
| B-side | "Dark as a Dungeon" |
| Released | July 1947 |
| Recorded | August 8, 1946 |
| Studio | Radio Recorders, Los Angeles |
| Genre | Folk |
| Length | 2:54 |
| Label | Capitol Americana |
| Songwriter(s) | Merle Travis |
| Producer(s) | Lee Gillette |
| Official audio | |
| "Sixteen Tons" on YouTube | |
"Sixteen Tons" is a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Rosewood, Kentucky. Travis first recorded the song at the Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood, California, on August 8, 1946. Cliffie Stone played bass on the recording. It was first released in July 1947 by Capitol on Travis's album Folk Songs of the Hills. The song became a gold record.