MUSICAL DECADES - 1950s - Christmas Music
Time for another round of Christmas songs, this time form the 1950s. These are the songs that I grew up with and they bring back so many memories. By the way, if you missed Christmas Music from the 1940s, click here.
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby, Jr. (May 3, 1903 β October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor. His early career coincided with technical recording innovations such as the microphone. This allowed him to develop a laid-back, intimate singing style, rather than having to project his voice to the back row of the theatre. That style influenced many of the popular male singers who followed him.
"Silver Bells" is a popular Christmas song, composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. "Silver Bells" started out as the questionable "Tinkle Bells." Said Ray Evans, "We never thought that tinkle had a double meaning until Jay went home and his wife said, 'Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word tinkle means?'" The word is slang for urination.
The first recorded version was by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards with John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra and the Lee Gordon Singers which was released by Decca Records in October 1950.
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (May 18, 1912 β May 12, 2001) was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years after signing with the label in 1943. "Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records for RCA Victor and pioneered a musical variety television show. Como was seen weekly on television from 1948 to 1963, then continued hosting the Kraft Music Hall variety program monthly until 1967. His television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world. Perry's appeal spanned generations and he was universally respected for both his professional standards and the conduct in his personal life.
βItβs Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmasβ has been recorded by many artists, but was a hit for Perry Como and The Fontane Sisters with Mitchell Ayres & His Orchestra on September 10, 1951. Bing Crosby recorded a version on October 1, 1951, which was also widely played.
I must say that the children's Christmas wish list has certainly changed over the years!
Jimmy Devon Boyd (January 9, 1939 β March 7, 2009) was an American singer, musician, and actor known for his recording of the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".
Jimmy recorded the song for Columbia Records in 1952, when he was 13 years old. It became a hit, selling over two and a half million records in its first week's release and Boyd's name became known internationally. Jimmy was presented with two gold records. His record went to number one on the charts again the following year at Christmas, and continues to sell as a Christmas song. Collective disc sales by 1966 amounted to over 11 million copies.
I remember hearing this song on our old console radio and agreeing with Jimmy that it was a good thing Daddy didn't see what was going onβrather than realizing that Santa WAS Daddy dressed up!
Eartha Mae Kitt (January 17, 1927 β December 25, 2008) was an American singer, actress, dancer, activist and comedian, known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby", which were both US Top 10 hits. Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the world".
"Santa Baby" was a huge hit for Kitt, and she later said that it was one of her favourite songs to record; she reprised it in the 1954 film New Faces.
Robert Lee Helms (August 15, 1933 β June 19, 1997), known professionally as Bobby Helms, was an American country music singer who enjoyed his peak success in 1957 with the seasonal hit "Jingle Bell Rock". His other hits include "Fraulein" and "My Special Angel".
"Jingle Bell Rock," which was released in the late fall of 1957, was being played and danced to on Dick Clark's teen dance show American Bandstand by mid-December of that year. It also re-emerged in four out of the next five years, and sold so well that it repeated each time as a top hit, becoming a Christmas classic still played to this day. (In 2016, it was rated radio's third most played Christmas song, according to StationIntel.)
It took five years for the song to become a second million-seller for Helms. It reached Number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 21 weeks in the chart, gaining gold status. At the end of a television performance of the song toward the end of his life, Helms said, βI didnβt want to do the song when they first brought it to me, but now Iβm sure glad I did.β
Ross S. Bagdasarian (January 27, 1919 β January 16, 1972), otherwise known by his stage name David Seville, was an American pianist, musician, actor, voice actor, and record producer of Armenian descent. He created Alvin and the Chipmunks.
As David Seville, he had a number-one hit in the summer of 1958 with "Witch Doctor" which was his first experiment with speeding an audio track to get a distinctive, squeaky, high-pitched voice. While driving in Sequoia National Park, a chipmunk dashed in front of his car. That moment inspired him to create his chipmunk characters.
So, for the 1958 Christmas season came "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" with the Chipmunks, for which he won two Grammy Awards in 1959: Best Comedy Performance and Best Recording for Children. David named the three Chipmunk characters after record executives: Simon Waronker, Ted Keep (Theodore), and Alvin Bennett.
After the success of "The Chipmunk Song", a series of follow-up hit singles were quickly released. Following his hit records, David provided the voice for David Seville and Alvin in the Chipmunks' short-lived 1961β62 animated television series The Alvin Show.
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 β August 16, 1977) was an American singer, musician, and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".
"Santa Claus Is Back in Town" is a Christmas song written in 1957 by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and first recorded that year by Elvis Presley as the opening track of his Christmas Album. βElvis' Christmas Albumβ is the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of all time in the United States. The song has become a rock and roll Christmas standard.
Dominique "Nik" Petersen is an aficionado of old music and the author of the interactive book set, Girlfriends Forever. Read about it and her other books at the website:
Articles from Dominique π Petersen
View blogThings exploded for Dr. Hook when their producer, Ron Haffkine, found a little tune called "A Little ...
James Cecil Dickens (December 19, 1920 β January 2, 2015), better known by his stage name, Little Ji ...
βThe Cover of βRolling Stone'β is just one of the songs Shel Silverstein wrote for Dr. Hook & the Me ...
Related professionals
You may be interested in these jobs
-
Catering Coordinator
Found in: Talent CA 2 C2 - 6 days ago
CB Canada Vancouver, CanadaOur client is looking to add a Catering Coordinator for their Downtown Vancouver facility If you have experience in the hospitality and management industry, don't wait... apply now Β· What is the job? Β· $24 per hour + 4% vacation pay, paid weekly Β· Monday to Friday, normal work sc ...
-
Retail Store Associate Part time Winners
Found in: Talent CA C2 - 1 week ago
Winners Winnipeg, Canada Part timeJOB DESCRIPTION Solita discovered ADVENTURE working at TJX. Β· Every day at our stores feels like a new adventure to Solita and she says that's what makes her work so exciting. The challenges, problem-solving and constant variety are just some of the things that you'll discover ...
-
IT Audit Senior Analyst
Found in: Talent CA C2 - 3 days ago
Equinix Toronto, Canada Full timeWho are we? Β· Equinix is the world's digital infrastructure company, operatingover 250 data centers across the globe.Digital leaders harness Equinix's trusted platform to bring together and interconnect foundational infrastructure at software speed. Equinix enables organizations ...
Comments
Dominique π Petersen
6 years ago #12
Pamela \ud83d\udc1d Williams Good news, Pamela. Brenda's in my 1960s Christmas songs post this Friday! ;o)
Dominique π Petersen
6 years ago #11
Pamela \ud83d\udc1d Williams You're right. It would fall in the 1950s, 1958 to be exact. I guess it will have to wait until next Christmas. I really like that one too!
Dominique π Petersen
6 years ago #10
Pedro \ud83d\udc1d Casanova Glad you like it! LOL!
Pedro π Casanova
6 years ago #9
Dominique π Petersen
6 years ago #8
Thanks, Franci! ;o)
Dominique π Petersen
6 years ago #7
Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador Thanks, Franciβand thanks for the share! ;o)
Dominique π Petersen
6 years ago #6
Dominique π Petersen
6 years ago #5
@Julio Angel \ud83d\udc1dLopez Lopez Me too, Julio! And thanks for the share. ;o)
Susan π Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
6 years ago #4
Julio Angel πLopez Lopez
6 years ago #3
Dominique π Petersen
6 years ago #2
And bring back memories!
Joyce π Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
6 years ago #1