Tons

Tons can refer to:

Snot (band)

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Snot is an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California. Formed in 1995, the band released their debut studio album Get Some with founding vocalist Lynn Strait in 1997 and disbanded after his death in 1998. In 2008, the lineup of guitarists Mike Doling and Sonny Mayo, bassist John Fahnestock and drummer Jamie Miller reunited. In 2009, a new band, Tons, was formed, with Brandon Espinoza as vocalist. As of February 2014, Snot has reformed again.

History

Formation, Get Some and death of Lynn Strait (1995–1998)

The band was formed by singer Lynn Strait, the former bassist of a local punk band, Lethal Dose, and guitarist Mike Doling, formerly of Kronix. After building a strong following with performances in Los Angeles, Snot signed with Geffen Records, and began work on their debut album, Get Some, released on May 27, 1997. Although the album received positive critical notice, sales were disappointing.

The band performed on the 1998 Ozzfest tour. On July 9, 1998, Strait was arrested in Mansfield, Massachusetts, for indecent exposure after emerging nude from the oversized toilet prop used by Limp Bizkit in their performances. The band began work on their second album. On December 11, 1998, Strait died in a car accident when a truck struck his car, killing him and his boxer, Dobbs. The band disbanded following Strait's death, with Doling stating, "We can’t go on without Lynn. It’s just bullshit when bands do that."

Sixteen Tons

"Sixteen Tons" is a song about a coal miner, based on life in coal mines in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. It was written and first recorded by Merle Travis at the Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood, California on August 8, 1946. Cliffie Stone played bass on the recording. It was first released by Capitol on the album Folk Songs of the Hills (July 1947). The song became a gold record.

The line, "You load sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt," came from a letter written by Travis' brother John. Another line came from their father, a coal miner, who would say, "I can't afford to die. I owe my soul to the company store."

A 1955 version recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford reached number one in the Billboard charts, while another version by Frankie Laine was released only in Western Europe, where it gave Ford's version competition.

On March 25, 2015 it was announced that Ford's version of the song will be inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.