Johnny Marks: Composer of Christmas Songs

The average person might not recognize the name "Johnny Marks," but it is an almost certainty that they have heard more than one of the songs he wrote. Quite simply, Johnny Marks was the composer of some of the most famous Christmas songs of all time, including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," and "A Holly Jolly Christmas." It is an interesting fact that while Mr. Marks wrote some of the most successful Yuletide songs of all time, he did not celebrate Christmas himself. Quite simply, Johnny Marks was Jewish.

Johnny Marks entered the field of writing Christmas songs through one of his family. His sister was married to Robert L. May, the former advertising copywriter for Montgomery Ward who, in 1939, wrote the children's story "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as a promotion for the retailer. Eventually Montgomery Ward would give Robert L. May the rights to the story and the character. It was in 1948 that Mr. May persuaded his brother-in-law Johnny Marks to adapt "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as a song.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was offered to Gene Autry, who had already seen some success with his own Christmas song, "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane." Gene Autry initially rejected the song, but his wife convinced him to record. He recorded "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in June 1949 and it was released that September. It proved not only to be the biggest hit of Gene Autry's career, but quite possibly the most successful Christmas single of all time besides "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby.

Johnny Marks would follow "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" with several more Christmas songs, among them "When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter" and "An Old-Fashioned Christmas," but he would not have another hit until "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Bing Crosby in 1956. While Johnny Marks wrote the music to "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," it had originated as the poem "Christmas Bells" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1863. "Christmas Bells" had been set to music as early as 1872, when organist John Baptiste Calkin did so. Johnny Marks set the poem to his own music in 1956 and it was recorded by Bing Crosby.

It was two years later that Johnny Marks would receive a writing credit on the song "Run Rudolph Run" by Chuck Berry, although Mr. Marks actually had nothing to do with the song and was simply given a credit due to the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. While Johnny Marks actually had little to do with "Run Rudolph Run," he would write a rock 'n' roll Christmas song also released in 1958. Johnny Marks asked twelve year-old Brenda Lee to record "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," although she did not understand why given she had yet to see a good deal of success. Upon its initial release in 1958, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" did not perform particularly well on the charts. It also did not do well when it was re-released in 1959. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" finally took off in 1960, when it reached no. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would continue do well afterwards every holiday season.

Johnny Marks's next hit Christmas songs would come about because his very first Christmas hit, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." One of Johnny Marks's neighbours in the early Sixties was Arthur Rankin Jr., a producer with Videocraft International Ltd. (later known as Rankin/Bass Productions Inc.). It was Arthur Rakin Jr. who suggested to Mr Marks that the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" could be adapted as a stop-motion animated television special. Johnny Marks was initially reluctant, but eventually Arthur Rankin Jr. was able to sell him on the idea of the television special, but to provide songs for the special as well.

The songs Johnny Marks wrote for the television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would prove to be a success. Indeed, two of the songs would become hits for Burl Ives (who narrated the special) and would go onto become Christmas standards. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" has since been covered by several artists, and the original Burl Ives version would return to the charts several times over the years. "Silver and Gold" from the special would also prove to be popular.

Johnny Marks would not repeat the success of the songs from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, although he would write songs for two more Christmas television specials. Johnny Marks also wrote songs for the 1975 DePatie-Freleng cel-animated television special The Tiny Tree, and the special included his 1959 song "A Merry Merry Christmas to You." The following year he provided songs for Rankin/Bass's sequel to their classic 1964 television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rudolph's Shiny New Year.

Johnny Marks died on September 3 1985 at the age of 75 from complications from diabetes. He left behind a legacy of hit Christmas songs that are matched by very few. "Johnny Marks" may not be a household name, but his songs certainly are.