Born in Arkansas 113 Years Ago, the Singer Whose Flag-Waving Wartime Hit Was the First Country Song to Go Gold

On this day (June 27) in 1913, James Elton Baker was born on a farm near Marshall, Arkansas. He is best remembered by his stage name, Elton Britt. After launching his solo career in the early 1940s, he had a string of top 10 hits. However, none had the impact of his debut single, “There’s a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere.” The wartime hit became the first country song to earn a Gold record.

Britt grew up in a musical family. As a result, he bought his first guitar when he was just ten years old. A few short years later, he heard the music of Jimmie Rodgers for the first time. Inspired by the Father of Country Music, the young musician learned to sing and, more importantly, yodel.

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According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, Britt was only 17 when his career began. He replaced his friend, Hugh Ashley, who performed under the name Hobart Walton, in the Beverly Hill Billies. The group had a regular spot on KMPC in Los Angeles. An employee for the oil company that owned KMPC told the young yodeler that his name, James Baker, didn’t sound “Hillbilly” enough. As a result, he was given the stage name Elton Britt. It stuck.

Elton Britt’s Recording Career

Elton Britt had 11 top 10 singles throughout the 1940s and early ’50s. Songs like “Chime Bells,” “Detour,” “Someday (You’ll Want Me to Want You),” and “Candy Kisses” made him one of the most popular stars of the era. He also recorded “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” in 1947, but it failed to chart.

Britt’s most successful single didn’t make the country chart, though. “There’s a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere” went to No. 7 on the pop chart in 1942. However, its chart placement doesn’t tell the whole story.

The United States had just entered World War II, and the song’s lyrics are about a disabled young man who wants to serve his country. The “Somewhere” mentioned in the title is a patriotic version of Heaven where soldiers and political figures like Abraham Lincoln go when they die. The narrator would do anything to earn his place in that American Valhalla.

The First Country Song to Earn a Gold Record

The RIAA, which awards Gold and Platinum albums today, wasn’t formed until 1958. Before that, record labels would award gold discs to celebrate successful singles. RCA, on which Elton Britt recorded hundreds of songs, was among the first labels to award gold records.

“There’s a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere” sold over a million copies. As a result, RCA awarded Britt with a gold record. It was the first country song to receive the honor.

Some sources say that Britt’s wartime hit was the first country song to sell more than a million copies. That’s not the case, though. Vernon Dalhart’s 1924 single “The Wreck of the Old 97” backed with “The Prisoner’s Song” holds that distinction.

Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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