This reconstruction agrees with the fact that Frank Emile Cotier copyrighted his "Iowa Waltz" on November 2, 1950 (Catalog of Copyright Entries). My guess would be that the recording is from around the same time.
Initially I was somewhat sceptical that this was Country Singer Dave Dudley. However, having brushed the accumulated dust of a succession of Country Music Encyclopaedias in search of information regarding Dave Dudley’s early career; although I was unable to find any reference to this particular record, Irwin Stambler & Grelun Landon’s 1969 tome “Encyclopaedia Of Folk, Country And Western Music” did open up a particular avenue worth exploring further, one which leant some credence to the notion that this is The Country Singer, Dave Dudley. In the late forties Dudley’s all consuming passion was to become a professional baseball player, unfortunately an injury sustained in 1950 brought to an end Dudley’s aspirations in this direction. Over the next two years Dudley went from strength working as a DJ, and singing, over a succession of local radio stations starting with station W.T.W.T (Stevens Point, Wisconsin); moving then onto W.B.O.K (Waterloo, Idaho); and from there to K.C.H.A (Charles City. Idaho). In 1952 Dudley set up his own Trio, “The Country Caravan“, which consisted of Lynn Strauff - steel guitar; Dick Van Hale – Bass; Smokey Stover – Lead Guitar; with Dudley himself taking care of the vocals and struming rhythm guitar. Dudley and his Country Caravan made their recording debut on the Milwaukee based PFAU label in 1952. Dudley’s growing popularity as a DJ and a as singer on air was perhaps what brought him to the attention of Frank Cotier who was presumably looking for popular local lad to wax his newly penned composition "Iowa Waltz" in order to peddle the song to a wider audience. Given his later career as a Country singer one automatically assumes that Dudley was singing Country tunes on the radio, but perhaps he was singing material from a broad canon of works, including popular numbers of the day. I readily confess that this is all pure speculation, but in the absence of any alternative notions at the moment maybe it’s something to explore further?
Here is Dave Dudley's voice on this record. Should be possible to decide by ear if it's the same voice as that of the country singer. The first record is, of course, from the early to mid-1950s before Dudley became a country singer.
In the 1950s, everything is possible. There was an organ craze, after all.
Frank Cotier was a composer and band leader who, in 1951, resided in LaCrosse, Wisconsin: Catalog of Copyright Entries
He performed on the Hammond organ at a dinner club in La Crosse, The Fireside, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday nights in 1951: LaCrosse Tribune, Oct. 23, 1951
I believe this label, pressed by Weegman Recording Co., was owned by Willard Weegman, another Wisconsin native. Willard, an engineer from Spooner, Wi., spent his career in broadcasting in Minnesota, Alabama and Wisconsin, later owning a radio station in Rice Lake, Wi. Dudley was from. Spencer, Wi. All three cities are in the same general region, which led me to believe this was in fact the country artist. I submitted this to member Gary E. (Myers) who wrote two definitive books on Wisconsin music in the 50's and 60's (to which I was a credited contributor, but this record I submitted to him after publication). I need to give him a call and see if he came up with anything on this. I also found the record at a thrift store on a run to Minneapolis not far outside the area mentioned. Circumstantial evidence perhaps, but it seems to lead in that direction. Unfortunately, both Dave and Willard are not around anymore to interview. The contrary info is both Dudley labels (Dudley Jackson's Colorado label) are Research Craft. More evidence is certainly needed for any conclusion.