Remembering Merle Travis 🎸 . October 20th: On this day 1983 Merle Travis died a heart attack. The American country and Western singer, songwriter who was best known for his hit “Sixteen Tons”, often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners in the lyrics. Travis was was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1977. . Merle Travis is now acknowledged as one of the most influential American guitarists of the 20th centu