illustration by Denver Gillen
detail photo by Styrous®
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 . . .
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
photo: Associated Press
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!
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!
I fell in love with it!
background illustration by Denver Gillen
vinyl LP album cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
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-Nose Reindeer - lyrics
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.
The "B" side of the record had a little ditty written by Alec Wilder called The Reindeer Dance and performed by Mitch Miller.
It's a funky recording but sometimes enjoyable things in life aren't always the prim, proper and legitimate way to go!
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
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
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®
One of my winter holiday favorites performed by one of my favorite singing cowboys!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the charming visual memories, Sly.
Wishing Us All Adventure in 2020!
Holiday Hugs!
Rrosi
Thanks, Rrosa!!! Glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteStyrous