Donn Reynolds

Stanley Beresford "Donn" Reynolds (June 26, 1921 – August 16, 1997) was a Canadian country music singer and yodeler most widely known for his Bavarian style of yodeling. Often referred to as Canada's "king of the yodelers", Reynolds established two yodeling world records. He recorded 38 singles and six albums throughout a performing career spanning over 40 years. Donn Reynolds was born in St. Vital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on June 26, 1921. His parents, William Reynolds and Ethel Smith, migrated from England to Canada in 1907 after their marriage in 1905. He was youngest of three children, with older sisters Dora and Connie. Influenced by Harry Hopkinson (aka Harry Torrani), a popular British yodeler during the 1930s, Reynolds taught himself to sing and play guitar at 10 years of age. He first achieved local notoriety in 1936, winning a local radio (CKY Winnipeg) sponsored talent contest. By the age of 16, Reynolds had formed a band performing local clubs and theatres as "The Yodeling Ranger". Through his father's encouragement, Reynolds headed for British Columbia in 1937 to work as a deckhand for Canadian Pacific Railway Coast Service aboard passenger steamships along the western coasts of Canada and the United States. Traveling with his guitar, he was popular for entertaining passengers and crew with frequent impromptu performances aboard each ship. After Canada's declaration of war in 1939, Reynolds became a Merchant Mariner in the Canadian Merchant Navy with Canadian Pacific Steamships. In 1941 he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force assigned to deep-sea rescue operations in the Northern Pacific Aleutian Islands. While stationed at Bella Bella, BC, Reynolds married his first wife Catherine Norma Tompkins in Vancouver BC, on August 28, 1942. The couple had one daughter together named Diane. During service in the RCAF, Reynolds' vocal talent caught the attention of senior officers as he was often heard singing and yodeling throughout the ship. They facilitated his reassignment to the "Joe Boys", a Canadian military entertainment unit touring throughout Western Canada and Alaska performing for Canadian, American, British and Australian troops where he remained until the end of the Pacific campaign in 1945. Upon completing his military service, Reynolds moved to New Zealand through an offer to tour the Kerridge Odeon circuit under contract with R.J. Kerridge. Success of the tour extended to Australia in early 1947 where he joined Western Cinemas Limited as a featured vaudeville performer in his own travelling hillbilly variety show and debuted over Australian radio performing weekly for Bob Dyer's Dude Ranch on 2FC. His appearances featured a heavy black beard he had grown for an acting role in the Australian film Eureka Stockade produced by Ealing Studios. The same year, Reynolds joined Willard (Bill) Ferrier's Famous Hillbillies along with budding Australian artists Johnny Ashcroft, The McKean Sisters, Dusty Rankin, and Billy Blinkhorn. Their shows were the first in Sydney to present a strictly all country music format. Alongside pioneers Tex Morton and Slim Dusty, Reynolds was among Australia's earliest popular country music recording artists releasing several sides in 1947 for the Australian Columbia Graphophone Company on the Regal Zonophone label. Gaining popularity around the country, he became known as "Canada's Yodelling Cowboy" and regularly featured on national radio shows such as Cavalcade with Jack Davey, National Fair, Malvern Star Show, and RAAF Digger Sessions. He earned money playing theaters and halls in towns across New South Wales where people had heard him on the radio and travelled with Goldwyn Brothers Circus billed as the "Yodelling Cowboy". In October 1948, Reynolds became the voice of Australia's iconic Peters Ice Cream as the "Peter's Singing Cowboy". His signature five tone yodel garnered recognition as a regular feature of the Peters Pals radio show syndicated from Melbourne's 3XY. Eager to extend his recent Australian popularity to America, Reynolds departed for Hollywood California in 1949 headlining "Red Barn Roundup" hoedowns with Dusty Ellison at the Avodon Ballroom in Los Angeles. His first U.S. single, "Texas Yodel", was declared a Cash Box "Bullseye of the Week" on July 2, 1949, prompting appearances throughout California's vaudeville theaters and dance halls. The song was covered by Wesley Tuttle on Capitol Records later that same year. Forming a band in 1950, Reynolds toured the southwestern U.S. as "Donn Reynolds & his Westerners" drawing further attention upon winning the "World Open Yodelers Contest" on September 1, 1950 (awarded by Wilf Carter at the Pacific National Exhibition, Vancouver, BC) and later claiming the U.S. National Yodeling Championship in 1956 (awarded by Connie B. Gay in Washington, DC). During a trend that saw American R&B record labels expanding into country music, Reynolds signed with Art Rupe of Specialty Records in January 1952. Recording sessions were held at John Keating Studios in Seattle, WA which remained unreleased until appearing on his 2013 compilation "Portrait of a Yodeler". Later that summer, Reynolds teamed up with western swing band leader Eddie Cletro, recording several singles for Lariat Records at the renowned Radio Recorders studio in Hollywood. From 1950 through late 1956, Reynolds traveled the U.S. working in radio broadcasting while regularly appearing on stage and television across the country. Featured appearances include the Louisiana Hayride, WLS National Barn Dance, WWVA Jamboree, KRLD Big D Jamboree, Hollywood Theatre, WSAZ Saturday Night Jamboree, Herb Shriner's "Two for the Money", Valley View Park (with Roy Acuff), and his own regular TV show as "The TV Rangers" on WGAL-TV. By 1956, Reynolds had settled in Cumberland, Maryland as a resident broadcaster for WCUM and host of its weekly Alleghany Jubilee variety show. He opened a local record shop "The Record Corral" specializing in country and spiritual music. In late 1956 Reynolds traveled to the U.K., being among the earliest artists to have recorded in London's Lansdowne Studios with British producer Denis Preston. Twelve songs were recorded for EMI under engineering expertise of Joe Meek featuring prominent backing musicians Jack Fallon (bass), Danny Levan (violin), Sandy Brown (clarinet), and Al Fairweather (trumpet). Other U.K. appearances included BBC TV shows Bid for Fame, Fancy Free, In Town Tonight, Six Five Special, Radio Luxembourg with Gerry Wilmot, and as Davy Crockett in the Irish musical The Adventures of Davy Crockett. Impressed with Reynolds’ talent, Preston arranged a U.S. record deal through his connections with MGM Records. Less than a year after arriving in the U.K. Reynolds returned to the U.S. in 1957 for recording sessions at Nashville's historic RCA McGavock Studio under direction of Wesley Rose (Acuff-Rose). Accompanied by Chet Atkins on guitar, Moon Mullican on piano, and famed Elvis backup singers The Jordanaires, the singles Rose of Ol' Pawnee, Bella Belinda, All Alone, and Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain were released on the MGM label. The singles were well received by Cash Box and Billboard Magazine reviews while promoted through moderate radio play and a tour across the U.S. featuring guest appearances on The Milt Grant Show (WTTG-TV) and Buddy Deane's Bandstand (WJZ-TV) in December 1957. With the U.K. release of his earlier EMI studio recordings on the Pye Nixa label, Reynolds returned in 1959 embarking on a European promotional tour of England, Sweden, Germany, Morocco, and Spain headlining performances at the Bavarian Grand Ole Opry, Liseberg Rondo, Circus Sarrasani, El Circo De Madrid, and Victoria Palace Theatre. Four songs were released in the U.K. on the Pye Records EP "The Donn Reynolds Song Bag" followed by four singles released in Denmark on Metronome Records coinciding with his tour dates there. In March 1960 Reynolds signed with Rank Records Ltd. to record