Artist / Band

Shirley Field

Origin Armstrong, British Columbia → Gwynne, Alberta, 🇨🇦

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Biography

Canada’s Queen of the Yodel
Shirley Field has been a cornerstone of Canadian country and cowboy music for more than six decades, celebrated for her rich voice, showmanship, and world-class yodeling. Born in Armstrong, British Columbia, she began performing at the age of twelve, armed with her Sears “Stella” guitar and a love of the music of Patsy Montana and Wilf Carter. By fifteen she was hosting her own radio program on CFJC Kamloops, The Cowboy’s Sweetheart Show, a title that became her early trademark.

In 1950, Field won the title of Canadian Female Yodeling Champion at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, where Wilf Carter himself judged the competition. It was the first of many awards that would mark her career. Appearances followed on CBC and CTV, including Cross Canada Barn Dance, and tours that brought her across the West. She was soon performing alongside major U.S. artists such as Marty Robbins and Loretta Lynn, the latter becoming a lifelong friend.

In 1962, Shirley achieved a career highlight when she was invited to Nashville to perform on the Grand Ole Opry, followed by an appearance on Ernest Tubb’s Midnite Jamboree. While there, she recorded her first Nashville single at Owen Bradley’s legendary Barn Studio: Elton Britt’s “Chime Bells” backed with her own original composition “An Illusion”.

Throughout the 1960s, Shirley recorded a string of releases for the Rodeo/Banff and Melbourne labels — five singles in total between 1963 and 1969, alongside two full-length albums: The Two Sides of Shirley Field (Rodeo RBS-1186, 1963) and Yours Sincerely (Banff RBS-5309, 1969). Among her most collectible records is the 1965 Melbourne single “We’re Going Skiing” b/w “Ski Rock” (WG-3193), a rockabilly-inspired novelty cut that became a ski lodge favourite across Western Canada and remains a sought-after 45 among collectors today.

Her recording career was matched by extensive touring. Shirley fronted her own all-female band, The Dartels, which included her sister Judy, and she built a reputation as one of Canada’s premier live acts. She became known for her powerful interpretations of country standards as well as her own songs, many of which highlighted her dazzling yodeling technique.

In 1972, Shirley partnered with Nova Scotia-born singer Billy G. French (William George French, 1938–2026) for the duet LP Together (Periwinkle PER-7306 / Vintage SCV-115). Born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, French was a highly trained musician who served in the Canadian military, where he achieved the rank of Sergeant and performed as first flute in the Stadacona Band, one of the country’s premier military ensembles. An accomplished singer and yodeler as well as an instrumentalist, French later toured extensively across Canada and the United States, building a professional career that bridged military, country, and popular music worlds.

The album showcased the natural chemistry between Field and French across Canadian-penned material by Gordon Lightfoot, Doug Ballard, Don Cochrane, and Art Snider, alongside contemporary Nashville repertoire. Following the album’s release, the pair toured widely as “The Shirley Field Show,” becoming a popular live attraction on the Canadian circuit. Their partnership earned Entertainers of the Year in Canada in 1971 and helped cement Shirley’s profile in Eastern Canada, particularly in Ontario and the Maritimes, where the duo consistently drew strong audiences in theatres, clubs, and lounges.

French continued performing for decades after his recording partnership with Field, remaining active in music throughout his life. In his later years, he played with the Sackville Community Band in Nova Scotia and remained a respected figure in his local musical community. His passing in January 2026 at age 87 marks the loss of a versatile Canadian musician whose career spanned military, touring, and community music, and whose collaboration with Shirley Field represents a significant chapter in her national touring and recording career.

By the late 1970s and 1980s, Shirley returned to solo performance, with her focus increasingly on cowboy and gospel music. She recorded prolifically on cassette and CD, issuing albums such as Just A Yodel For Me, Seasons of Our Lives (1993), Yodeling Memories, The Country Side of Shirley Field, He Taught Me to Yodel, The Spirit of the Cowboy, Let the Wild Horse Run, and Together Again (1999). The latter was a deeply personal project, dedicated to her teenage sweetheart and eventual husband Fred Frederickson, with whom she reunited after decades apart.

Alongside her recordings, Shirley helped pass on the art of yodeling through her instructional CD/book How to Yodel the Cowboy Way (1997, with Rudy Robbins). Her dedication to preserving the tradition earned her international acclaim, including an International Yodeling Award (1993), the Will Rogers Yodeler of the Year (1999), and induction into the British Columbia Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 2006 she was inducted into the BC Country Music Hall of Fame and later received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alberta Women of Country Music.

Her story was featured in the CTV documentary Memory Trail (2000), and she has continued to perform at cowboy festivals and special events into the 21st century, her voice and yodel still strong.

Today, Shirley Field’s legacy is that of a trailblazing Canadian cowgirl, bridging rodeo stages, national radio and television, Nashville studios, and Alberta ranchlands. With her commanding vocals, heartfelt songwriting, and dazzling yodels, she rightfully deserves the title: Canada’s Queen of the Yodel.
-Robert Williston

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