June 27, 1913

James Elton Baker was born in Zack (Searcy County), a small community in the Ozarks. Renamed Elton Britt in order to sound more “hillbilly,” he later embraced his Ozark heritage and became famous for his trademark yodeling. He reportedly learned breath control, which enabled him to sustain his yodel for an unusually long time, by swimming underwater for long periods. His most popular song, “There’s a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere,” was the first country and western performance awarded a gold record for selling more than a million copies. Britt also was a heavy influence on most subsequent yodelers in country music.