Jaci Rae: What advice would you give to up-and-coming artists today who want to get heard and build a loyal following?

Ernie Ashworth: Well my own advice would be, if you pass a country radio station, go in there and introduce yourself. Take a CD in with you to see if they will play it or interview you.

Maybe there are some good disc jockeys out there that can do the same thing that they did for me. It’s a lot harder now than it was back in my day. But I still go in when I pass a radio station and see if I can meet the disc jockey.

I am just blessed by the Good Lord to do what I do and disc jockeys made that possible. I don’t mind stopping in there and doing an interview with them even to this day. Even though they aren’t into traditional country music and they are programmed, I still stop in and say hi to them.

Jaci Rae: How did it work back in your heyday for royalties? I don’t know if they gave you performance royalties back then. They don’t now in the U.S., but they do in Europe.

Ernie Ashworth: I made…I forgot how much I made, but most of the money was made on personal appearances. If you had a hit record back then, the price that you were paid for a performance went up.

Jaci Rae: So you weren’t paid a percentage of the profit from the sales of your records?

Ernie Ashworth: When I recorded, they advanced the money and paid for all of the recording costs. They took that money out of my record sales.

Jaci Rae: But once the costs had been paid back, did you receive a portion of the profit?

Ernie Ashworth: No. They always held that money for future sessions.

Jaci Rae: What was life on the road like for you back in the day?

Ernie Ashworth: We toured by automobile, Bettye and I. They (Hicksville Records) sent me out on 20-30 day tours at a time. There would be times when I would do a show, be done at 10 or 11 PM, and then Bettye and I would head for the next date. She was a good night driver; I didn’t like to drive at night.

Bettye would drive all night long and I’d be sleeping in the back seat. When the sun came up she would stop and wake me up. Then I would drive all day and she’d get in the back seat and sleep. Back then, the only one who had a bus was Lester Flat; everyone else drove in an automobile.

Jaci Rae: Do you remember your very first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and who was playing with you?

Ernie Ashworth: It’s been years now, but I know I was scared to death that night. There were artists like Patsy Cline, Loretta and Little Jimmy playin’ that night. After that, I sang on the Opry every now and then. Then Loretta went to the managers (at the Grand Ole Opry) and told them she wanted me on there as a member. She’s the one responsible for my induction.

Jaci Rae: Tell me about your tour of Elvis Presley’s mansion.

Ernie Ashworth: Back then, they used to have the DJ convention in Nashville. This was before Fan Fair. It was just for artists and DJ’s. Elvis Presley was there one year and nobody paid any attention to him.

He just went around like the rest of us to the DJ’s. The very next year is when he hit big. And I tell you what! You ain’t never seen such a mad house in all your life! There were so many Elvis impersonators that when you walked in the door, women were all over the place outside.

And with so many Elvis impersonators, the women would grab just any of them thinking they were Elvis, and Elvis wasn’t even there that year! Somebody would say, “There’s Elvis!” and women would grab the impersonator!

Back then, I used to get a Christmas card from Elvis every year. To me he was just another artist, so I would give the cards to the kids. I should have kept those cards, ’cause I’d be a millionaire. Bettye and I went to Memphis and stopped at Elvis’ house to thank him. We walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

His mother came to the door and I told her “I’m Ernie Ashworth. I’m from the Grand Ole Opry. I just wanted to stop by and say hi because I’m a big fan of Elvis Presley.” Mrs. Presley said, “Well Elvis has a lot of your records and he loves your singing.”

Then she took Bettye and me on the grand tour of their house. She took us to places most people couldn’t go. I thanked her and she said, “Elvis is a big fan of yours.” That made me feel real good!

Jaci Rae: Didn’t you end up in Hollywood at one point?

Ernie Ashworth: I was lucky enough to be one of the top artists of that era, so they called me to Hollywood to make a movie called “The Farmer’s Daughter” in 1965. They had a part in the movie during a picnic scene and needed a recording artist to appear in it. So they flew me to Hollywood.

Jaci Rae: Which awards have you been nominated for, Ernie?

Ernie Ashworth: I won the Billboard and Cashbox awards for just about everything they have. I’ve won Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and others.

Jaci Rae: You were recently nominated for a Grammy, correct?

Ernie Ashworth: It was for Gospel Recording of the Year a few years back.

Jaci Rae: When were you inducted into the Grand Ole Opry?

Ernie Ashworth: 1964. I was also inducted into the Traditional Music Hall of Fame, Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame.

Jaci Rae: Aren’t you still having huge success in Europe?

Ernie Ashworth: Yes. I was voted the No. 1 most played Country Music Artist in Europe this year. I’m still getting real good airplay over there.

Jaci Rae: They love you. I’ve seen the crowds clamor for you. I love that little white, lip suit you have! Ernie, what other advice would you give to up-and-coming musicians and songwriters today?

Ernie Ashworth: When you get knocked down, stand up and keep going. ‘Cause you’re gonna get knocked down. You don’t make it in the music business overnight unless you’re one of the select few that has an immediate top ten or No. 1 record. It took me a long time to make it big in the music business and join the Grand Ole Opry.

Jaci Rae: Didn’t you appear on The Midnight Jamboree quite a bit?

Ernie Ashworth: Ernest Tubb, he really took a liking to me. I appeared with him on The Midnight Jamboree. When the show was over, he said, “You’re the only one I have ever offered this too. But I like you. I like your singing. I like your humility. I’ve never done this for anyone in all my years here at The Midnight Jamboree, but you have a standing invitation to come and be on this show every Saturday night if you want to be.”

For someone like him to do that for me was quite an honor. I didn’t do his show every week. I did it quite often, but I didn’t want to do it all the time and take a chance away from someone else.

People helped me get started and I try to help others if I can. I’ve never been greedy for a career. I’d rather help someone than hurt someone.

Jaci Rae: We’re in the process of writing the story of your life and I am so excited about that.

Ernie Ashworth: I’m very excited as well. There isn’t anyone else I would want to write it. Many people have approached me, but you’re the only one I want to write about my life.

Jaci Rae: Wow Ernie! I didn’t know that! Thank you! You’ve had an incredibly fun and diverse life. On top of everything you’ve accomplished, you’ve also accomplished an incredible marriage with Bettye.

Do you have any advice to those who are married in the music industry or are in a relationship with someone in the music industry? How can they have success in their relationship when one person may be on the road all the time?

Ernie Ashworth: It is very hard. I’ve had so many people tell me that Bettye and I are a unique couple. They say that normally a country music entertainer is married four, five, six times, and Bettye and I have been together for years. She’s helped me from day one with my career and we laugh a lot together.

Jaci Rae: What are your plans for the future once Bettye is well?

Ernie Ashworth: As soon as Bettye is better, we’re going to Florida for a vacation!

Jaci Rae: Thank you, Ernie, for sharing a piece of your life with the about.com audience.

Ernie Ashworth: It’s been great talking with you, Jaci. Bettye and I love you and we sure enjoyed the tour we did together and hope we can do it again soon.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 1:28 pm and is filed under Music Industry Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.