Yodel
Also known as Yodeling
A mountain-born vocal style that moved from Alpine herding calls into folk song and early country recording, where it found some of its most famous American exponents.
Origins and context
Originally a mountain vocal practice used for communication and later absorbed into folk song traditions.
How to listen
Listen for
- The clean break between vocal registers
- Long, ringing vowels
- Phrases that feel like a call answered by an echo
History
The best-documented roots of yodeling are in the central Alps, especially Switzerland, where it served practical purposes in mountain life before becoming part of regional song culture. Smithsonian notes an early written record from Appenzell in 1545 and describes the practice as a way for herders to communicate across valleys and gather livestock. In the United States, yodeling moved into recorded popular music in the 1920s. Library of Congress material on Riley Puckett calls his 1924 recording of "Rock All Our Babies to Sleep" the first recorded yodeling in country music, while Jimmie Rodgers’ "Blue Yodel (T for Texas)" helped make the style a national feature of early country records. (blogs.loc.gov)
Notable artists
- JRJimmie Rodgers
- RPRiley Puckett
- FLFranzl Lang
Essential listening
- 1
- 2
- 3
Franzl Lang
