“Hicktown” appears to be the B-side of an updated “Sixteen Tons” single released on Capitol in 1965. Tennessee Ernie Ford sings of a down-on-its-luck place that holds its destitute and demoralized residents captive, unable to leave. Sounds terrifying, actually:
“Hicktown“
Tennessee Ernie Ford (1965)
Written by Charlie Williams & Scott Turner
Actually, the lyrics tell a different tale in which the “hicktown” is shown to have special benefits that the “big city” can only dream of.
45 picture sleeve
Netherlands (1965)
“Hicktown” would appear on a full-length album the following year, though not on a Tennessee Ernie Ford release, interestingly, but rather a Capitol various artists compilation LP — 1966’s The Who’s Who of Country Music — that also received distribution outside North America in Germany and the Netherlands.
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LINK to 45 Sides +/- Obscure Tracks
LINK to Countrypolitan +/- Country Pop
