He found greater exposure after an appearance in the successful 1953 movie "From Here to Eternity" singing and playing "Reenlistment Blues", and following the success of his friend Tennessee Ernie Ford's million-selling rendition of "Sixteen Tons" in 1955. His reputation as a folk-inspired singer-composer and guitarist grew after the appearance of the album "The Merle Travis Guitar" in 1956, the reissue of "Folk Songs of the Hills" with four additional tracks under the title "Back Home" in 1957, and "Walkin' the Strings" in 1960, the latter two of which won 5-star ratings from "Rolling Stone". His career acquired a second wind during the American folk music revival in the late 1950s and early 1960s, leading to appearances at clubs, folk festivals and at Carnegie Hall as a guest of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs in 1962. In the mid-1960s he moved to Nashville and joined the Grand Ole Opry. During this time he became a close friend and occasional hunting partner of Johnny Cash.