Carolina Cotton (nee Helen Hagstrom; October 20, 1925 in Cash, Arkansas – June 10, 1997, in Bakersfield, California) was an American singer and actress known as the "Yodeling Blonde Bombshell", the "Girl of the Golden West" and the "Queen of the Range".
Born to an Arkansas farming family who moved to San Francisco during the Great Depression, Hagstrom took dancing classes, became a child singer and gradually accompanied travelling shows. At the age of 16, she was a high school student who would visit a radio station to watch the Dude Martin’s Roundup Gang. When the band's yodeler left to get married, Martin asked her whether she could yodel she replied "Sure I can! Why not?"— though she had never before yodeled Dude gave her her nickname “Carolina” because he reckoned that Arkansas was not so well recognized in California The surname “Cotton” came later thanks to fans and a radio disc jockey named Cottonseed Clark.
The band played regularly at LA's Riverside Rancho club, and appeared on the popular radio show "Hollywood Barn Dance", on local station KNX. That same year she appeared in a few B Western films, In 1945 she signed with Columbia Pictures, filming "Outlaws of the Rockies, and "Texas Panhandle" At that time Carolina also made several film shorts and soundies with Cooley and Merle Travis.After filming "Outlaws", Carolina realized she should learn to ride horses. Like anything else she did, she gave it her all, and soon became an Outstanding Horsewoman, and appeared in several equestrian events...rodeos, horse shows and parades. She often rode as Grand Marshalette.
In 1945 Carolina secretly married Cooley bassist Deuce Spriggins. The two left the band, and formed Deuce Spriggins Orchestra. The new band also featured Andy Parker and the Plainsmen Trio. They performed nightly at Santa Monica Pier's Western Palisades Ballroom, one of the largest dance halls on the West Coast. Like the Spade Cooley Orchestra, they made soundies, shorts and appeared in 4 films. They recorded 1 release for Mercury Records, "What's the Matter With You" / "I Been Down in Texas". But by 1946, Cotton and Spriggins had divorced, and the Spriggins Orchestra dissolved.
Carolina briefly performed with Hank Penny in '46 back at the Riverside Rancho, and soon signed with King Records. The session produced 2 of her self-penned signature songs, "Three Miles South of Cash in Arkansas", and "I Love to Yodel".
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Carolina eventually guest starred on several radio and early television programs (some were her own shows).In 1947, she toured with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, and made another film, "Smoky River Serenade" (with The Hoosier Hot Shots). Often performed her self-penned song "Three Miles South of Cash in Arkansas" at concerts, and coaxed other performers to join her in the yodeling part of the song. Some of the surprise yodelers included Walter Pidgeon, and Bob Hope!
Sadly, in 1994, Carolina was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. In spite of enduring treatments, she carried on with a smile, and the same enthusiasm she was known for. She continued teaching and working at the department store, attended a Film Festival or two, and managed to enjoy summer visits to Europe.
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She retired from teaching in March 1997, and entered the hospital in April, where she passed away the morning of June 10th, 1997. . (Edited from Wikipedia & IMDB)
She retired from teaching in March 1997, and entered the hospital in April, where she passed away the morning of June 10th, 1997. . (Edited from Wikipedia & IMDB)