Mick Hartley

"Well I know the yodelingest girl in the country – I certainly do – and it's none other than Carolina Cotton, the little girl from Arkansas":

Here's the original Yodel Mountain, from the 1944 film "I'm from Arkansas".

And here she is again, "the yodeling blonde bombshell" on the Doye O'Dell show, in front of a couple of very camp-looking cowboys.

Born Helen Hagstrom, adopting a stage name was a smart career move. She was with the Spade Cooley Orchestra for a while, then married bassist Deuce Spriggins  – who, perhaps unwisely, never saw the need for a change of name – and the two of them went off in 1945 to form the Deuce Spriggins Orchestra. Here she is, reduced to slapping a bass while the men do all the singing, on Missouri. It didn't last long. By 1947 she was touring with Bob Wills – above.

Read about her here, or check out the official Carolina Cotton website.