Elton Britt
Encyclopedia
Elton Britt born James Elton Baker, was a country music
guitar
ist and singer-songwriter
.
and other labels in more than a 30-year span, and is best known for such hit songs (several of which he wrote or co-wrote) as "Detour
", "Chime Bells", "Maybe I'll Cry Over You", "Pinto Pal", and the million-selling wartime hit "There's A Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere".
A singer, bandleader, radio and television performer, songwriter and standard-setting yodeler, he starred in at least two films in the late 1940s and had hit records as late as "The Jimmie Rodgers Blues" in 1968.
He died June 23, 1972, five days before his 59th birthday.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
.
Biography
Elton Britt was born in Searcy County, Arkansas. He recorded over 600 sides and 60 albums for RCARCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
and other labels in more than a 30-year span, and is best known for such hit songs (several of which he wrote or co-wrote) as "Detour
Detour (song)
"Detour " is a Western swing ballad written by Paul Westmoreland in 1945. The original version was by Jimmy Walker with Paul Westmoreland and His Pecos River Boys, issued around the beginning of November 1945....
", "Chime Bells", "Maybe I'll Cry Over You", "Pinto Pal", and the million-selling wartime hit "There's A Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere".
A singer, bandleader, radio and television performer, songwriter and standard-setting yodeler, he starred in at least two films in the late 1940s and had hit records as late as "The Jimmie Rodgers Blues" in 1968.
He died June 23, 1972, five days before his 59th birthday.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Yodel Songs | RCA Victor | |
| 1959 | The Wandering Cowboy | ABC | |
| 1960 | Beyond the Sunset | ||
| I Heard a Forest Praying | |||
| 1963 | The Best 1 | RCA Victor | |
| 1965 | Singing Hills | ABC | |
| 1966 | Somethin' for Everyone | 31 | |
| 1968 | The Jimmie Rodgers Blues | RCA Victor | |
| 1970 | Sings Modern Country | Certron | |
| 1972 | The Best 2 | RCA Victor | |
| 16 Great Country Performances | ABC | ||
| 1983 | Days of the Yodeling Cowboys | Cowgirlboy | |
| 1984 | More Days of the Yodeling Cowboys | ||
| 1986 | Star Spangled Stardust |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
||
| 1942 | "There's a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere" | 7 | |
| 1945 | "I'm a Convict with Old Glory in My Heart" | 7 | |
| 1946 | "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You) Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You) "Someday " is a popular song. It was written by Jimmie Hodges and was published in 1944.The song has become a standard, recorded by many pop and country music singers.-Charting versions:... " |
2 | |
| "Wave to Me, My Lady" | 3 | 19 | |
| "Blueberry Lane" | 4 | ||
| "Detour Detour (song) "Detour " is a Western swing ballad written by Paul Westmoreland in 1945. The original version was by Jimmy Walker with Paul Westmoreland and His Pecos River Boys, issued around the beginning of November 1945.... " |
5 | ||
| "Blue Texas Moonlight" (w/ The Skytoppers) | 6 | ||
| "Gotta Get Together with My Gal" | 4 | ||
| 1948 | "Chime Bells" (w/ The Skytoppers) | 6 | |
| 1949 | "Candy Kisses" (w/ The Skytoppers) | 4 | |
| 1950 | "Beyond the Sunset" (w/ The Three Suns & Rosalie Allen Rosalie Allen Rosalie Allen was born Julie Marlene Bedra on June 27, 1924, in Old Forge, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania and died September 24, 2003. Allen grew up the daughter of a Polish immigrant chiropractor in a large, impoverished Pennsylvania family... ) |
7 | |
| "Quicksilver" (w/ Rosalie Allen) | 3 | ||
| 1968 | "The Jimmie Rodgers Blues" | 26 | |
| 1969 | "The Bitter Taste" | 71 |
External links
- [ Allmusic]
- Official Website