I've been reading Ronnie Pugh's fine biography of Ernest Tubb, which is interesting if you are an Ernest Tubb fan, which of course I am very much.

I was not surprised to learn that Tubb came to Korea during the war and entertained the troops, along with Hank Snow and some other country stars of the time.

Here is a picture of him playing in Korea, from a fan's personal website with many other snapshots.


(it is amazing what is on the internet, is it not?)

Pugh notes: "Tubb himself stayed completely sober during the trip, quite a feat for him at the time and remarkable in light of the tough circumstances and the generous offers of libation from their Special Services offer..." (p. 182)

It was especially interesting to learn that the North Koreans used one of Ernest Tubb's songs as the basis of a propaganda ploy. They copied the words of his song "Soldier's Last Letter" for a fake letter they dropped behind the US lines. Since Tubb's song was so well known, the letter didn't fool anybody.

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