In the mid-1950s a former country music disc jockey from Pasadena seemed to be everywhere.
Tennessee Ernie, he called himself on the radio. Ernie Ford not only had a hit record but guest appearances on “I Love Lucy” propelled him into a TV show of his own.
An album of Christian hymns put Tennessee Ernie Ford on Billboard’s chart for over five years.
At home, watching all of this unfold, was Ford’s son, Jeffrey Buckner Ford, often known simply as Buck.
Buck and his little brother saw the good times, and the rough times, as the double-edged sword of success impacted the family.
Both Ernie and wife Betty grappled with substance abuse, and Betty Ford took her own life in 1989. Ernie Ford died 2 years later.
In 2008 Jeffrey Buckner Ford wrote a critically acclaimed book about his parents, called River of No Return. He and I met 1 day that spring at our local Borders bookstore to talk about it.
So here now, from 2008, Jeffrey Buckner Ford.
Tennessee Ernie Ford died in 1991 at age 72. His son Buck Ford is now 75.