---
name: "Merle Travis"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/merle-travis"
roles: ["Composer"]
born: "29 November 1917"
died: "19 October 1983"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-17T04:48:50.259820+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Merle Travis

Composer. Born 29 November 1917 in Muhlenberg County. Died 19 October 1983.

## Details

- **Work:** Composer
- **Born:** 29 November 1917, Muhlenberg County
- **Died:** 19 October 1983
- **Elsewhere:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1276598, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0871419/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/121082

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*Harlan County U.S.A.*](https://film.one/film/harlan-county-u-s-a.md) (88)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Merle Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor. Born on 29 November 1917 in Rosewood, Kentucky, he began his career in the 1930s and became known for his distinctive guitar style and songs about coal mining, including 'Dark as a Dungeon' and 'Sixteen Tons'.

He appeared in several films, playing Sal Anderson in *From Here to Eternity* (1953) and taking other acting and musical roles through the 1980s. Travis contributed to the score of the documentary *Harlan County U.S.A.* (1976). He died on 20 October 1983 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Harlan County U.S.A.* (1976), Fi1m 88, Music — [page](https://film.one/film/harlan-county-u-s-a.md)

## Also known for

- *From Here to Eternity* (1953), Sal Anderson

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/merle-travis