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1-5 of 5
- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
You may not know his name, at least not right away, but you've surely heard at least one of Johnny Marks's songs at Christmastime. The brother-in-law of Robert L. May, who wrote the original story of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," it was he who set the story to music. After failing to sell the song to, among others, Bing Crosby, Marks eventually found a enthusiastic listener in the person of singing cowboy Gene Autry. Autry's Columbia recording of the song, in 1947, became the biggest hit of his career and made both men (and May, who owned the rights to the original story) very wealthy.
Forming his own publishing company, St. Nicholas Music, shortly thereafter, Marks began turning out a series of Yuletide classics that have come to be beloved by many: "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" (a beautiful setting of the Longfellow poem), "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "Run, Rudolph, Run," "A-Caroling We Go," "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," and "Silver and Gold." The latter two were introduced in the classic 1964 TV special "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," for which Marks provided the score. He also wrote one non-Christmas song that's become a favorite, as well, "Anyone Can Move a Mountain."
Johnny Marks died in 1985 at the age of 75. As long as there are those who love Christmas, though, his name and songs will live forever.- Actor
- Soundtrack
One of the most accomplished and influential drummers of the swing era, Jonathan 'Papa Jo' Jones was schooled in Alabama, becoming proficient at playing piano, trumpet and saxophone by the age of ten. Leaving home, he worked as a singer and tap dancer in travelling medicine shows and in vaudeville, eventually taking up drums. During his late teens, he played jazz in territory bands, including Walter Page's 'Blue Devils', Harold Jones' Brownskin Syncopators (1931) and Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders (to 1933). Jones settled in Kansas City by 1934 and became acquainted with Bill Basie, who had not yet changed his moniker to Count Basie. Jones was soon employed as a drummer in Basie's band, on and off until the autumn of 1936, when he became a permanent fixture. Along with Page and Basie, he became an integral part of what was often referred to as the 'All-American Rhythm Section'. An innovative musician, he changed traditional perspectives by favoring the use of brushes and by making the hi hat cymbal, rather than the bass drum, the dominant time keeping instrument at his disposal.
Jones remained with Basie until February 1948, a tenure only interrupted by a period of military service between 1944 and 1946. His subsequent free-lance work included nationwide and European tours with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic', as well as stints with smaller swing/bop combos led by Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt and Joe Bushkin. During the 1950's and 60's, Jones recorded with Billie Holiday, Art Tatum, Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Teddy Wilson, and many others. He also regularly performed on the New York club scene, occasionally fronting his own trio. A very literate, articulate individual, Jones had a well-earned reputation for outspokenness and volatility, especially in regard to musicians whom he believed had been elevated without sufficient artistic merit.- Composer
- Music Department
John Herbert McDowell was born on 21 December 1926. John Herbert was a composer, known for Murder à la Mod (1968), The Wedding Party (1969) and The Orchid (1971). John Herbert died on 3 September 1985 in Scarsdale, New York, USA.- Johnny Marks was born on 10 November 1909 in Mount Vernon, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Harmony Row (1933). He died on 3 September 1985.
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Stan Early was an actor and writer, known for Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour (1948). He died on 3 September 1985 in New York City, New York, USA.