78 RPM claims that King released Carolina Cotton‘s signature song “I Love to Yodel” (penned by the singer herself) as the B-side – Discogs, too. I find that hard to believe:
“I Love to Yodel”
Carolina Cotton (1946)
According to the person who posted this audio clip on YouTube:
Recorded 30 October 1946 (possibly) at Radio Recorders, 7000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood , CA — Hank Penny Orchestra a.k.a. Carolina Cotton Pickers (Hank Penny [leader], Carolina Cotton [vcl], Fred Cianci [fiddle], Ralph Miele [steel], Doye O´Dell [gt/vcl?], Max Fidler [fiddle], Bob Caudana [accordion], and possibly Eddie Bennett [piano].
Carolina Cotton was born Helen Hagstrom in Cash Arkansas (1925 – 1997) a.k.a., “The Yodelling Blonde Bombshell.”
“I Love to Yodel” b/w “Mocking Bird Yodel“
Surprisingly little fanfare surrounding this unjustly obscure western swing King classic – released in November, 1949. Exactly three years prior, King had released Cotton’s first single “Three Miles South of Cash (In Arkansas)” b/w “Singing on the Trail” in November, 1946. Cotton briefly performed with Hank Penny, reports the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, who undoubtedly helped her get signed with King.
I first learned of this song by way of cassette, interestingly enough — yet another influential musical moment facilitated by the Cherokee Trading Post, who once sold tapes of King recordings (sometimes conjoined with items from the Starday label) produced by Gusto/IMG — owners of the King and Starday combined catalog since 1975. The cassette in question All Star Western Swing — as with Country Tunes Done R&B (celebrated in the previous piece) — has no corresponding catalog record in Discogs, nor can you find any information about it on the web (okay, one reference).
Undated cassette – produced by Gusto/IMG
Furthermore, just as with Country Tunes Done R&B, there is a King LP that appears to be the inspiration for the cassette version marketed by IMG/Gusto — in this case, 1963’s Western Swing – Famous Western Bands. This vinyl long-playing collection contains all 8 songs found on the cassette plus 4 additional tunes by Paul Howard (& His Arkansas Cotton Pickers), Leon Rusk, Luke Wills (& His Rhythm Busters), and Jimmie Widener.
Western Swing – Famous Western Bands [King LP 876]
[click on song title links below to hear streaming audio]
- A01 Jimmie Widener “Jimmie’s Jump” 1946 [Wrongly listed as Spade Cooley]*
- A02 Redd Stewart “Take Back Your Paper Heart” 1950
- A03 Paul Howard “You Couldn’t See the Trees for the Forest” 1950
- A04 Leon Rusk “Air Mail Special on the Fly” 1946
- A05 Al Dexter “Hi De Ho Boogie on a Saturday Night” 1950 [rec. in Cincinnati]
- A06 Curt Barrett “Hey Bartender” 1946
- B01 Charles Linville “Snow Deer” 1946
- B02 Carolina Cotton “I Love to Yodel” 1946
- B03 Luke Wills “Bring It On to My House Honey” 1947*
- B04 Tex Atchison “Somebody’s Rose” 1946
- B05 Jimmie Widener “I’m All Through Trusting You” 1946
- B06 Jimmy Thomason “The Spider and the Fly” 1952
A little surprised by the fact that five of the twelve songs included on this album are not yet available for preview on YouTube.
*Amusingly, the label says “Bring It On Down to My House HENRY“
I remember sending copies of these tapes to Larry Nager during my first flush of wonder back in the 1990s on my annual trips to Cincinnati, and Larry theorizing that places like Cherokee Trading Post in semi-rural West Virginia just might be the last vestiges of Syd Nathan’s distribution system in place — “bringing the music to the people” where they live.
“I Love to Yodel” can also be found on this rare Audio Lab EP
An earlier version of “I Love to Yodel,” by the way, would be recorded for Cotton to sing in the 1944 film I’m From Arkansas. (click on link to watch the clip). Check out the Carolina Cotton website for lots of great information and vintage photos.
