Gene Autry • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer • Up On The Housetop • Here Comes Santa Claus

Christmas Song of the Day: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, by Gene Autry. (Today is Christmas Songs Day 7).

Day 6 (yesterday) was Merry Christmas Darling, performed by Karen Carpenter. 

His version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the only one to listen to. But I can’t honestly decide which is today’s “Song of the Day:” Besides Rudolph, there is Frosty the Snowman, and my two favorites, Up on the Housetop, and Here Comes Santa Claus. Can’t decide which one. Those songs have been done by a zillion people, but Gene Autry was the first. He introduced those songs, and still does them best. 

The first song I remember identifying as my favorite song, when I was a little tiny kid, was Moon River, which doesn’t make a lot of sense because I was a little kid! Oh well, anyway apart from that, there were kids’ Christmas songs. If I could have had a blog back then.... 

And my hero was Roy Rogers, who was a famous movie cowboy (which is hilarious — if you’re a Millennial or Gen Z, you have no idea who that is.). That’s okay. Anyway, I got to have my picture taken with him - it was my big celebrity moment. But the famous “singing cowboy,” was Gene Autry. He’s mostly known, or that’s all I knew about him, as the guy who did the great Christmas songs!  

So, today we must honor him, the “singing cowboy,” — Gene Autry. 

Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed The Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, and rodeo performer who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry was the owner of a television station, several radio stations in Southern California, and the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels Major League Baseball team from 1961 to 1997.

From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 films, and between 1950 and 1956 hosted The Gene Autry Show television series. During the 1930s and 1940s, he personified the straight-shooting hero—honest, brave, and true—and profoundly touched the lives of millions of Americans. 

Above: A 1952 copy of TV Guide

Autry was also one of the most important pioneering figures in the history of country music, considered the second major influential artist of the genre's development after Jimmie Rodgers. His singing cowboy films were the first vehicle to carry country music to a national audience. In addition to his signature song, Back in the Saddle Again, and his hit At Mail Call Today, Autry is still mostly remembered for his Christmas songs, most especially his biggest hit Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, as well as Frosty the Snowman, Up on the Housetop, and Here Comes Santa Claus. 

Autry is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for film, television, music, radio, and live performance. 

The town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma was named after him. When the Anaheim Angels won their first World Series in 2002, much of the championship was dedicated to him. The interchange of Interstate 5 and State Route 134, near the Autry National Center in Los Angeles, is signed as the "Gene Autry Memorial Interchange." In 1992 he was said to be worth $320 million. But I’m guessing Autry’s biggest legacy is the way his songs make people feel, especially at this time each year. 

Gene Autry said that Christmas is for kids like you and me. So whether you think of yourself as a kid, or you aspire to be more in touch with your “inner child,” these old fashioned songs of Gene Autry, may be just what you need. They are filled with wonder and magic. They kind of make you feel young again. I hope you’ll take a little time this season to give them a listen. 

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Enjoy listening to Gene Autry below. 

Here are some favorite tracks from Spotify, as well as a classic video: 

Join us tomorrow for Christmas Songs Day 8.

Here is Gene Autry on Spotify:

A Gene Autry Christmas

Here’s a classic Gene Autry video for you:

Here is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer performed by Autry live on television: