December 25, 2019

78 RPMs 7: John Marks ~ Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - my first record

~
illustration by Denver Gillen 
detail photo by Styrous®


Well, after spending weeks gathering and wrapping all the Christmas presents I've finally gotten into the holiday spirit! And what could be more in keeping with Christmas, Santa Claus, snow and joy? Rudolph, of course!
      
Midway through creating this blog entry I realized this is the very first record I ever owned. So, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is my choice for celebrating 70 years of record collecting and this special day of a year that has been extraordinary in so many ways.        

This song about Rudolph was written by Johnny Marks in 1949, recorded by Gene Autry and was a HUGE hit! I remember when it came out . . .


Johnny Marks - 1956 


Marks described the song as “one of the worst ever written” but he sent a copy to Gene Autry who agreed with him and rejected the song; however, his wife found it “enchanting” and talked Autry into using it on the other side of an already scheduled record. As they say, the rest is history!      


6" 78 RPM record
photo by Styrous®  


My mom (link below) bought a cover of the song on Golden Records for me in 1949 for Christmas. The Golden Records label was originally issued from 1948 to 1962; they were produced for little kids. Little Golden Records were six inches (15 cm) in diameter and made of bright yellow plastic (orange plastic was used for a few titles). Each side played for a maximum of about one minute and forty-five seconds at 78 RPM. I recall being disappointed she hadn't bought the popular version of it which was by Gene Autry on Columbia Records and for BIG kids.         


10" single 78 RPM


But, as can be seen, I played the record my mom bought me to death and beat it up as only a kid can; I remember it had a cover with Rudolph on it but the cover vanished decades ago, who knows where. I still can't believe that was 70 years ago!       


Johnny Marks ~ Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer
6" 78 RPM record label detail
detail photo by Styrous®


I fell in love with it!   


However, many years later when I was collecting vinyl LPs I came across a beat up old copy of the Autry recording which proudly proclaimed, "The Original", and bought it to satisfy that kid from the 40's still living inside me.


background illustration by Denver Gillen
vinyl LP album cover detail 
detail photo by Styrous®

 
Mike Stewart (not of the We Five fame) is the singer on my version of the song; he is accompanied by The Sandpapers (not of the Guantanamera fame) and Mitch Miller before he became a 50's recording star in his own right.    

The song has been covered by recording artists other than Autry: there is Perry Como with about a zillion version of it, Burl Ives, Dean Martin, Paul Carrack, The Temptations and many more (YouTube link below).    



     
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert Lewis May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Though he initially receives ridicule for his nose as a fawn, the brightness of his nose is so powerful that it illuminates the team's path through the harsh winter weather.      

Rudolph first appeared in a 1939 promotional booklet written by Robert L. May and published by Montgomery Ward, the department store. Oh, my Gosh! Does the name of THAT store bring back memories of my childhood!   


Montgomery Ward promotional pamphlet
illustration by Denver Gillen


May, drew in part from the 1844 tale of The Ugly Duckyling by Hans Christian Andersen and his own background (he was often taunted as a child for being shy, small, and slight), settled on the idea of an underdog ostracized by the reindeer community because of his physical abnormality: a glowing red nose. His boss was worried that a story featuring a red nose — an image associated with drinking and drunkards — was unsuitable for a Christmas tale. May took Denver Gillen, a friend from the Montgomery Ward art department, to the Lincoln Park Zoo to sketch some deer. Gillen’s illustrations of a red-nosed reindeer overcame the hesitancy of May’s superiors, and the Rudolph story was approved. A total of 6 million copies had been distributed by the end of 1946.    

The "B" side of the record had a little ditty written by Alec Wilder called The Reindeer Dance and performed by Mitch Miller.    



Alec Wilder ~ The Reindeer Dance 
6" 78 RPM record & label
photos by Styrous®



It's a funky recording but sometimes enjoyable things in life aren't always the prim, proper and legitimate way to go!         

         
Viewfinder links:       
   
Gene Autry         
Burl Ives        
Dean Martin          
Mitch Miller      
Christine K. Simonson          
Christmas ~ 2019      
        
Net links:       
     
Groovy History ~ Who Wrote 'Rudolph?       
LA Times ~ Prolific Songwriter Johnny Marks Dies          
NY Times ~ Johnny Marks Dies      
         
        
 YouTube links:    
      
Gene Autry ~ Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer      
Perry Como ~ Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer               
Burl Ives~ Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer       
Dean Martin~ Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer        
      
       
       

Merry Christmas!





Christmas - 2019 
photo by Styrous®
     
        
       
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, December 25, 2019  


      
      
       








2 comments:

  1. One of my winter holiday favorites performed by one of my favorite singing cowboys!

    Thanks for the charming visual memories, Sly.
    Wishing Us All Adventure in 2020!
    Holiday Hugs!

    Rrosi

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Rrosa!!! Glad you liked it.

    Styrous

    ReplyDelete

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