I learned something this holiday season: a songwriter named Johnny Marks wrote the now famous “Silver & Gold” Christmas tune specifically for the “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” TV special. Originally, Larry D. Mann as Yukon Cornelius was to sing the song, but the duty fell on Burl Ives after he signed onto the project. Apparently, the same could be said of “Holly Jolly Christmas,” which really took off after Ives sang a somewhat slower version as a separate release a year later. I guess you can say the rest is history, of a sort.
Marks also wrote: “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree,” “Run Rudolph Run,” “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer,” “A Merry, Merry Christmas to You,” “The Most Wonderful Day of the Year,” and “A Caroling We Go,” among others. That is pretty solid work for any songwriter, but even better when you realize the songwriter didn’t celebrate Christmas himself…Read On…
The opinions expressed within this report are those of John Norris as of the initial publication of this blog. They are subject to change without notice, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Oakworth Capital Bank, its directors, shareholders, and employees.