Benjamin Ford, Duke of Paducah, Dies

The Duke of Paducah, a Grand Old Opry humorist known for his tag line “I’m goin’ back to the wagon; these shoes are killin’ me,” is dead at age 85. The entertainer, whose real name was Benjamin Francis (Whitey) Ford, died Friday at St. Thomas Hospital after being in failing health for several months.

Ford was known for his garish green outfits and his popular tag line that was an old-fashioned complaint from a country boy forced to dress for the city.

Ford was a short, stocky man who played banjo when he wasn’t telling homespun tales in a drawling monotone. He performed as a regular cast member of the Grand Ole Opry from 1942 to 1958 and twice in recent years was among the finalists for induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

He appeared on the original Gene Autry radio show on station WLS in Chicago and on the WLS Barn Dance show. He also spent nine years as the star and master of ceremonies on “The Plantation Party,” a nationally broadcast music and comedy show on NBC radio.

In his 50-year career, Ford appeared with medicine shows, stage presentations, burlesque, dramatic tent shows and vaudeville. His outfit included a green hat, a green coat with brass buttons, green pants, a red bow tie and high button shoes.

“You can’t get any cornier than I look on stage,” he told a reporter in 1970. “I work the fact hard that I do a cornball act. . . . It’s been good to me.”

He never lived in a town called Paducah, but got the name in 1935 while working at radio station KWK in St. Louis, Mo.