Johnny Marks

Best remembered for seasonal favorites like "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer," composer Johnny Marks was born in Mt. Vernon, NY on November 10, 1909. After attending Columbia University, he studied music in Paris, returning stateside to work as a radio producer; during World War II, Marks additionally produced entertainment for American troops stationed overseas.

In 1947, he was asked to write a song based on "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," a poem written by his brother-in-law Robert L. May, a copywriter with the Montgomery Ward department store chain. Ward's had already given away six million illustrated copies of May's story before Marks even composed a note, but the song itself (popularized by Gene Autry's 1949 recording) still sold over 30 million copies in the decades to follow, inspiring a beloved television special which premiered in 1964.

Marks was named to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, he died September 3, 1985.

Source: Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide, reproduced at GetMusic.com

Marks was an amazingly prolific contemporary writer of Christmas carols, whose impact was enhanced due to the annual performance of many of his songs on animated Christmas specials (which also included non-Christmas songs). His Christmas songs include:

Song / Year

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1949
• When Santa Gets Your Letter, 1950
• The Night Before Christmas Song, 1952
• (There’s Nothing Like) An Old Fashioned Christmas, 1952
• I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, 1956
• A Merry, Merry Christmas To You, 1958
• Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, 1958
• Silver and Gold, 1964
• A Holly, Jolly Christmas, 1964
• Jingle, Jingle, Jingle, 1964
• The Most Wonderful Day of the Year, 1964
• We Are Santa’s Elves, 1964
• A Caroling We Go, 1966
• Joyous Christmas, 1969

ASCAP lists 94 songs to Marks' credit. For more information about Mr. Marks, including a discography, see the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Marks also wrote a number of other songs, some of which were performed in the animations of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, including Why Am I Such a Misfit, We’re a Couple of Misfits, We’re on the Island of Misfit Toys, There’s Always Tomorrow, and Fame and Fortune.

Photographs of Marks, and of Marks and Ives, from the Rankin-Bass Web Site

 

If you would like to help support Hymns and Carols of Christmas, please click on the button below and make a donation.

Related Hymns and Carols