Donn Reynolds
| Donn Reynolds | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stanley Beresford Reynolds |
| Also known as | Donn Reynolds, King of the Yodelers |
| Born |
June 26, 1921 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Origin | Brampton, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | August 16, 1997 (aged 76) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Country, western |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, songwriter |
| Years active | 1947–1987 |
| Labels |
MGM Records, Pye Nixa Records, Regal Zonophone |
| Website | www.donnreynolds.com |
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".
With 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 gained popularity 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 and was assigned to deep-sea rescue operations in the Northern Pacific Aleutian Islands. During service in the RCAF, Reynolds' vocal talents 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 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 now featured the heavy black beard he had grown for an acting role in the Australian film "" 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.
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