The holiday hit, “Rudolph and the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” has reached its 75th anniversary. To add onto that, it has been added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, a collection of the defining sounds of history and culture. Johnny Marks is nicknamed “Mr. Christmas of the Music World” because of Rudolph and his many other holiday hits.
“Rudolph and the Red-Nosed Reindeer” came out in 1949. It was composed by Marks and sung by Gene Autry, who is also well known for her previous hit. “Here comes Santa Claus.” in 1947. Upon its release, “Rudolph and the Red-Nosed Reindeer” became December’s best selling children’s single and pop single in 1949. It also became the third most-played song in the last week of 1949.
When Marks passed away in 1985, there were over 500 versions of Rudolph. Marks had sold 8 million music sheets, 25 million orchestral and choral arrangements, and 150 million records across all versions of Rudolph.
When interviewed by The Associated Press in 1958, Marks said “If I told you today how much money I made on Rudolph, my kids would be kidnapped tomorrow.”
However, despite all the accolades, the road to success wasn’t always easy for Marks.
Marks was born in 1909 in Mount Vernon, New York. His passion for music began early, leading him to start songwriting at just 13 years old. Despite his talents, his parents disapproved of a songwriting career, believing it wasn’t a real profession.
Marks enlisted to fight in World War II in 1942. During his service, he entertained his fellow soldiers, rose to the position of captain, and even led a group to capture 100 German soldiers.
After returning from the war, Marks married Margaret May. Margaret’s brother, Robert L. May, worked at the Montgomery Ward Department Store. Robert L. May would go on to write the illustrated children’s book, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Taking inspiration from the book, Marks composed “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in just a week. However, he encountered difficulties finding a singer for his song. Marks sent the demo to at least 10 artists before finally persuading Gene Autry, the singer of the 1947 hit “Here Comes Santa Claus.”
Ever since its release, “Rudolph and the Red-Nosed Reindeer” has served as a symbol of persistence and comfort to kids everywhere. Grammy winning songwriter Danial Tashian said in a phone interview, “I was just a little half-Armenian kid and I never felt like I fit in with all the other kids in the school. I saw myself as Rudolph.”
Thanks to Johnny Marks, “Rudolph and the Red-Nosed Reindeer” will be a core Christmas memory for generations of kids to come.