The "Walmart yodeling kid" — or "yodel boy,"
as he's being called — became an internet
phenomenon after a video of him belting out
a spirited version of Hank Williams' "Lovesick
Blues" in an Illinois Walmart went viral.
Since then it's been a whirlwind, with an
appearance on Ellen, a college scholarship,
and an invitation to appear on the biggest
stage in country music - the Grand Ole Opry.
So just how has 11-year-old Mason Ramsey done
it?
Here's everything you didn't know you wanted
to know about the Walmart yodeling kid.
Not his first rodeo
Though the world is just now learning about
the Yodeling Kid, it's not for a lack of effort
on Ramsey's part.
According to The Southern Illinoisan, he's
actually been a fixture of the local music
scene since he was 3 years old.
At an age when most kids have barely mastered
the potty, Ramsey opened for country star
Josh Turner, who called Ramsey "the real star
of the show."
The country music community took notice, and
Ramsey went on to open for Kenny Rogers, Gene
Watson, and the Bellamy Brothers, as well.
Still, the internet didn't catch on despite
Ramsey's best efforts.
After an earlier upload of Ramsey singing
"Lovesick Blues" didn't make an impression,
Ramsey got some traction after local Kentucky
radio station Beaver 100.3 saw a different
clip of the kid singing in a local Walmart.
Even that didn't go viral, though.
It turned out that, like a true country boy,
Yodel Kid needed help from more than just
a beaver - he needed a hog.
Like a pig in mud
Ramsey might be the biggest YouTube star in
the universe right now, but it was actually
the viral video hub ViralHog that first discovered
Ramsey and turned him into a superstar, boosting
his signal nearly a week before the smash
clip hit YouTube.
According to ViralHog, Ramsey's cart-stopping
performance happened at the Harrisburg, Illinois
Walmart on March 24, 2018, where
"He was very excited to stop and sing for
a group of customers that had gathered."
Just how popular has Ramsey become?
The original Hank Williams version of "Lovesick
Blues," which was released way back in 1950,
reached #4 on the Spotify Viral 50 Chart.
Nice.
Ellen's DeGenerosity
Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has featured
so many viral stars that, by now, they're
as much of a staple of her show as dancing,
scaring people, and giving away free stuff.
It was the Walmart yodeling kid's turn on
April 10th, 2018.
And he did not disappoint his fans, offering
vast insight into the daily life of a budding
musical superstar.
"Do you like LA?"
"Yeah, but I'm a country boy."
And what does that mean, exactly?
"And out in the old country, all we do is
bale straws of hay and next thing you know,
you sittin' under a tree takin' a nap with
your hat down and a weed in your mouth."
Ellen, of course, made all his dreams come
true, presenting him with a $15,000 college
scholarship and an invitation to play at the
Grand Ole Opry.
"I called my friends at the Grand Ole Opry.
And they want you to perform there Saturday."
"Oh my God!"
[Cheering]
Now that's something to yodel about.
Walmart is rolling in it
Knowing there will probably never be a golden
marketing opportunity like this ever again,
Walmart jumped on the Mason Ramsey train with
the excitement of a possum eatin' a sweet
potato.
Not only did they make a Yodel Kid snapchat
filter, the mega-retailer announced it was
"putting on a concert at his local Walmart
to let him shine!"
"Join me for a special concert at Harrisburg
Walmart store."
And it proved to be a hit, with tens of thousands
of fans watching the concert live on Facebook
and Twitter.
Awesome!
That giant guitar
So what's the deal with Ramsey's adult size
guitar, which looks like a gigantic movie
prop next to the tiny Yodeling Kid?
According to Ramsey's granddad, it's a very
special guitar that was bequeathed to Ramsey
by a deceased mentor.
"He inherited his guitar from this older fella.
He left it in his will for him."
Ramsey noted that the guitar is, indeed, just
as heavy as it looks, but we're sure the Yodeling
Kid will eventually grow into it.
Yodeling into your DMs
Though it took a while for Ramsey to catch
his big break, he's certainly making the hay
while the sun shines.
After going viral, Ramsey immediately launched
official Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook
pages, racking up over a million combined
followers.
And that’s just the beginning.
Though he's still so young, and he shot to
fame in the quirkiest way possible, the truth
about the Walmart yodeling kid is that he's
been putting in his dues for almost his entire
life.
Now that he's gained the national spotlight
and set up shop on social media, we don't
see this little superstar fading from fame
anytime soon.
We're rooting for you, Mason — keep on yodeling!
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