Do they yodel in the USA ?: “She taught me to yodel”

Why not begin with a little yodel lesson ? I could use the one by Cathy Fink but it is easy to find on The rough guide to yodel. So this is an older song, from the fifties I suppose, and hundred of artists have recorded this song around the world since then. The original version of She taught me to yodel is from Elton Britt, a yodelling jazzy cowboy crooner. I couldn’t find any recording date, just the number on RCA Victor (20-3092), but I suppose it’s from the end of the forties or the beginning of the fifties. He demonstrates here his ability to sustain rapid voice-breaks. Other songs where he’s at his best will come soon. Kenny Roberts, Britt’s protégé, did a more exuberant version in 1953 on the Coral label, he was encouraged by him to learn the song and make it evolve. It become a world wide hit in 1962 when Frank Ifield, an australian english country and easy listening singer, recorded it, still influenced by Britt. He made it a yodellling virtuoso piece with the final verse sung at double-speed. More versions to come.

Elton Britt – She taught me to yodel

Kenny Roberts – She taught me to yodel

Frank Ifield – Variation on “She taught me to yodel”

and to end, a nice clip from Diane Jewitt (no info about her) recorded in 1959 at Town Hall Party. I suppose it comes from the dvd edited by Bear Family. It’s the same song, with a little difference: He taught me to yodel.