Elton Britt and The Skytoppers

Elton Britt parlayed his Jimmie Rodgers imitation -- with a yodeling ability and range that surpassed Rodgers' -- into country's biggest hit of the World War II era, "There's a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere," which sold four million copies in the early '40s. He was born James Britt Baker in Zack, AR, on June 27, 1913, and began playing guitar and singing around his hometown while in his mid-teens. Baker's career was made in 1930 when the Beverly Hill Billies returned from California to their Arkansas home to recruit a new vocalist. He won the talent search, and after b...