Elton Britt

Stars

Country Musician | Singer | Songwriter Born James Britt Baker on June 17, 1913 in Searcy County, AR

Elton Britt was a country music singer and songwriter whose recordings included the World War II-era patriotic hit "There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere."

Britt, born James Britt Baker in Arkansas, hit it big when Los Angeles-based radio station studio manager Glenn Rice organized a search party of sorts in the Arkansas mountains to find an authentic country musician to join a group called the Beverly Hill Billies.

Britt was 15 when he arrived in L.A. to join the Hill Billies. The Times reported on Aug. 14, 1930: "The boy arrived in overalls and hickory shirt, sans shoes, but wearing a peaked cap. The youth was open-eyed with wonder as the tri-motored plane landed at the airport in the glare of arc lights and the applause of a large audience."

After achieving initial success on the radio with the Hill Billies, Britt moved to New York City. He recorded a number of hits and was known for his yodeling ability and musical similarities to another country star, Jimmie Rodgers.

— Lindsay Barnett for the Los Angeles Times June 21, 2010, with additional reporting from the Los Angeles Times Aug. 14, 1930