Christmas Music
Songwriter Johnny Marks is known for his Christmas music, and many of his songs have become holiday standards. These include “Rudolph, the Red nosed Reindeer,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Run Rudolph Run,” an “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” Burl Ives sang and recorded “A Holly Jolly Christmas” for the 1964 TV special Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer. Ives provided the voice of Sam the Snowman, the narrator. Ives released it as a single in 1964, backed with “Snow for Johnny.” This version was also on the special’s soundtrack album. In 1965, Ives re-recorded it for his album titled (no surprise) Have a Holly Jolly Christmas. This re-recording was a bit slower and has become the one most-often heard. The song has charted many times over the years and is in ASCAP’s Top 25 most-performed holiday songs.
Burl Ives (1909-1995) was a popular actor, voice over actor, folk singer, musician, writer, and author. He had a four-decade movie career. He was a singing cowboy in Smoky (1946). He played Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Big Country (1958).