Ernest Ashworth "Hits Of Today And Tomorrow" (Hickory Records, 1964) (LP)
On his first full LP, Ashworth presented a mix of cover songs and originals, including his chart-topping smash, "Talk Back Trembling Lips" as well as "Everybody But Me" and his cover fo the Louvin Brothers oldie, "I Take The Chance," which he'd put in the Top Ten a couple of years earlier. This album was released in a few different editions, with a couple fo different cover designs... they all sound great, though. Alas, there are no producer or musician credits, possibly because some of these tracks were originally singles, with different crews involved, but also because that's just the way they rolled back then.
Ernie Ashworth "The Best of Ernie Ashworth (Hickory Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Wesley Rose & Glenn Snoddy)
This second album was as much of a "best of" as his first, combing through his charting singles from 1964-69, a string of releases that start out strong, with him clinging to the lower rungs of the Top Twenty, then inexorably slipping into the Back Forty as the decade closed out. It's not like his work suffered, artistically, and there is a workmanlike charm to his Hickory singles, as well as the indie-label stuff to come, as well as a pleasant persistent rural tone. But the country charts are notoriously fickle, and like many of his '50s/'60s contemporaries, Ashworth struggled to remain relevant in the shifting tides of the countrypolitan era. This collection also opens with two of his older, established hits, just to make sure it had some built-in audience, recycling both "I Take The Chance" and of course "Talk Back Trembling Lips," a song that I'm pretty sure was included on every album he ever made, at least for most of his career.
Ernie Ashworth "A Legendary Performer" (American Sound Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Cliff Ayers)
Things get a little hazy in the 'Seventies, with a string of undated albums and singles... This LP on Cliff Ayer's indie label, American Sound Records, was accompanied by at least two singles, one from 1976 (a remake of "Talk Back Trembling Lips," of course) and one from 1978 that showcased a tune called "There's No Place I'd Rather Be Tonight," backed with a B-side ("Plains, GA") that is not included on the album. There are also three songs credited to Ashworth, though alas, once again, no musician credits.
Ernie Ashworth "...And Friends" (Palmer Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Ralph Davis & Joe Mills)
I couldn't find a date on this disc, but one single off this album came out in 1978, and Ashworth also cover's Roger Bowling's "Lucille, which was a huge hit for Kenny (Sauron) Rogers in '77... so, 1978 sounds about right. The "friends" involved are an interesting collection, including steel player Little Roy Wiggins, second-stringer Louie Roberts and three of Loretta Lynn's siblings: singers Peggy Sue, Jay Lee Webb and Crystal Gayle, who had just crossed over into mega-stardom the previous year, with her hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." No info about the backing band, though the Palmer label was located in Mississippi, so it's possible these were folks who were outside of the who Nashville usual suspects crowd. Only four of the songs were penned by Ernest Ashworth, with additional selections from Felice Bryant, Dallas Frazier, Ann Jones, Louie Roberts, and of course, there's the obligatory rendition of "Talk Back Trembling Lips," as always.
Ernie Ashworth "O'Brien Records Proudly Presents: Ernie Ashworth Country Hits" (O'Brien Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Roy Wiggins)
Ernie Ashworth "Highlights" (CBS/Seashell Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Jackson, David Thompson & Hollis Halford)
Guess what? There's yet one more version of "Talk Back Trembling Lips" here... they ought to do some kind of "Louie, Louie"-style albums just of Ashworth's versions of that song! An intriguing sorta-major label outing, with studio backing that included Eddie Bayers (drums), Dennis Burnside (keyboards), Jack Jackson (bass), Larry Sasser (steel guitar), and Paul Worley on guitar, and backing vocals from Tom Brannon, Doug Clements and Karen Taylor.
Ernest Ashworth "Greatest Hits" (Curb Records, 1981)
One of Curb's nicest oldies reissues! Although this omits Ashworth's early Decca singles, but it's a real treat hearing all his best early '60s material from the Hickory label, back when he was regularly featured in the Country Top Ten. Ashworth had an odd, thin voice, not unlike Roger Miller's, and was entirely willing to blend his honkytonk shuffles with a little rock'n'roll bounce. Songs like "Talk Back Trembling Lips," "Pushed In A Corner," and "I Love To Dance With Annie" have a swinging cheerfulness about them, while weeper like "Because I Cared," "The DJ Cried" and "I Take The Chance" (a cover of a Louvin Brothers song) proved him to be a superior balladeer. If you like Roger Miller or Buck Owens, this is a disc well worth tracking down!
Ernest Ashworth "The Best Of The Best Of Ernie Ashworth: Talk Back Trembling Lips" (Gusto Records, 2004)
Ernest Ashworth (1928-2008) was a quintessential one-hit wonder, even though he fact scored several big country hits over his career... Best known for his chart-topping 1963 version of John D. Loudermilk's "Talk Back Trembling Lips," Ashworth rode high in the early 'Sixties, and kept plugging away as a songwriter for several decades, even though as a performer his major label connections dwindled over the years into a series of smaller, indie-label affiliations. Originally from Huntsville, Alabama, Ashworth worked in radio before making his way to Nashville, where he had his first successes as a songwriter back in the early 1950s, and had a slow climb to stardom a decade later. Here's a quick look at his work...
