tə dˌɪfɚɹˈɛnʃɪˌeɪt hɪmsˈɛlf, hiː kɹiːˈeɪɾᵻd ðə pˌɜːsənˈælᵻɾi ʌv "tˌɛnəsˈiː ˈɜːni", ɐ wˈaɪld, mˈædkæp, ɛɡzˈædʒɚɹˌeɪɾᵻd hˈɪlbɪli.
To differentiate himself, he created the personality of "Tennessee Ernie", a wild, madcap, exaggerated hillbilly.