Ardis became nationally known when her recording of "Selling Chances" on the North Star label hit the charts. Her bigger rockabilly single, "Baby Doll," was cut in 1960 and trades on EBay today.
Ardis was born in 1917 in Monterey, Minn., to a family of show people who followed circuses and carnivals. She became the "Yodeling Sweetheart" as part of a western band.
Ardis says she had to swim, wrestle, dance, ride a horse, design clothes, ride elephants and even do trapeze tricks.
Later, she would write music, play the ukulele, bass fiddle, accordion, and electric guitar. Oh yes, she wrestled professionally for two years.She formed her own all-girl western band in 1956, known as the "Rhythm Ranch Gals," one of the better western bands in the country at the time. They appeared nightly in the cocktail lounge of the Flame Supper Club in Minneapolis and appeared on KEVE each Saturday and made a variety of personal appearances in the Twin Cities area.
She married a country singer, Jimmy Wells, and performed with his "Dakota Roundup Gang."When my mother talks of her, she mentions that she raced dogs and the North Pole. Her friend Iver agrees. But reading her bio on the internet, there's no mention of racing or raising dogs, greyhound or Huskie, in the material.
Then Tommy McKenzie, whose late sister, Barbara Lee Mac, performed with her, saw my comment on YouTube and wrote:
"I remember my sister telling me that Ardis was a Female Wrestler for a number of years and did in fact raise and race sled dogs. ... I remember Ardis stopping at the house when I was a young boy in her yellow Cadillac with her name painted on the sides and the back. She was a very colorful entertainer."
Hmm. Wonder if Ardis knows that Mom is a singer too, who married an organist.
Here is a two minute video with a sample of Ardis singing "Baby Doll."
