Carolina Cotton
WMA Hall of Fame Member

Carolina Cotton, from Cash, Arkansas, came to Hollywood as a teenager. Beginning in 1944, she acted, sang and yodeled her way through numerous motion pictures as a featured performer, over an eight year period. Known at various times as "The Yodeling Blonde Bombshell," "Hollywood's Yodeling Sweetheart" and "Queen of the Range" among other titles, she quickly found her way into the hearts of millions of Western film and music fans.

Most of her movie career was with Columbia Pictures. She appeared in films with Spade Cooley, Andy Parker & the Plainsmen, Jimmy Wakely, The Hoosier Hot Shots and others. She made 2 films each with Gene Autry and Eddy Arnold, and made 3 each with Ken Curtis and Charles Starrett ("The Durango Kid").

Carolina did a significant amount of work on radio, both before and after her screen career (which ended with the end of the B-Western era). She had her own television show and toured with her own band, and with Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Hany Penny, Eddy Arnold and The Sons of the Pioneers. She performed frequently at rodeos and was extremely popular with GI's on USO tours.

Carolina Cotton recorded with Deuce Spriggins' band as well as Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, and made a number of recordings with studio orchestras. Four of her recordings released in recent years (on Cattle LP # 128) were taken from her films with Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys and from radio transcriptions. Often her recordings showcased her remarkable yodeling skills.

She passed away in 1997, but left a legacy of Western films and music for her many fans and for those who will be learning about Western music in the future.