Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph, the Red- Nosed Reindeer ( Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ) is the title of a system based on a coloring book for kids Christmas song by Johnny Marks that in the interpretation of Gene Autry appeared in 1949 on single and reached million-seller status. There have been several film adaptations, including a 1998 animated feature film length.

Genesis

In 1939 the coloring book for children, which became the bestseller in the U.S. and on whose story the later recorded Christmas song is based.

Coloring book

The department store chain Montgomery Ward in Chicago sold coloring books of various foreign book publishers. The company management decided in 1939 to issue a separate coloring book for reasons of cost, which was intended as an ad campaign. The familiar children's songs Author Robert Lewis May, since 1935 as a display Writer at the department store chain, had chosen the story of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, having first name as Reginald had ( too British ) or blind ( to clear ) discarded. The department store line was " red nosed " because of the attribute initially concerned that this could be associated with alcoholism and alcoholics and therefore does not fit straight to Christmas. Were dispelled as the last doubts about the story of the young, stricken from the way reindeer with the glowing nose for Christmas 1939 was released and 2.4 million copies sold, and 1946 were more than six million copies of this coloring book about the counters. May had only collects a fee for his idea that copyright was registered for the department store chain. It was only in May 1947 May was awarded the copyright. Author May was with the now flowing royalties fund the medical bills of his wife suffering from cancer.

Christmas carol

The idea for the coloring book based on the song remained in the family, because song writer Johnny Marks was the brother in law of May first, the search for an artist was difficult, because of the extended carols Bing Crosby ( White Christmas ) refused. For him, the text was too young. May's narrative poem follows the Ugly Duckling principle, because the reindeer Rudolph is bullied by his environment, because he has a glowing red nose. Finally, however, he makes the Santa Claus as fog lamps career. What remained was the known as the " singing cowboy " Gene Autry. It was recorded the single Rudolph, The Red- Nosed Reindeer / If It Does not Snow on Christmas (Columbia # 38610 ) at the end of the recording session of 27 June 1949 in one take with the pinafores with orchestral accompaniment and as a choir. Columbia released the song on September 1, 1949; it reached on 3 December 1949, the hit parade, in which he, on January 7, 1950 for a week was not until after Christmas to rank one. The great success, wrote author Johnny Marks in 1950, was the perfect realization of composition by Autry, "with a 2 -bar intro, solo, chorus the tempo, 32 - taktigem instrumental part, and the final chorus with the pinafores. " Marks admitted later that he had actually left Autry only ink stains on a piece of paper, which Autry was musically and lyrically translated into sound. Many great songs were merely been unsuccessful due to faulty implementation.

Rudolph was the biggest hit of the Columbia label (South Carolina), who immediately transposed 2 million copies in 1949, and a total of 8 million has been sold times. The official website of Gene Autry goes even out of 12 million copies. A Gold Record for this was given until November 10, 1968.

Statistics

For John Marks 95 compositions are registered according to the ASCAP, and the imagination inspiring Christmas song has been covered time after Autry's original total of 144. Autry repeatedly drew on like this genre of music back, because he has released a total of 27 Christmas carols at Columbia ( they are available on a published on 21 September 2004 CD).