With a particular holiday rapidly approaching, we sneak in another kiddie record, this time with a Thanksgiving theme courtesy of our singing cowboy pal Gene Autry!
Here, from Columbia Records in 1950, are both sides of Gene's Thanksgiving single:
Of course we associate Gene with Christmas music, but you can see Columbia wanting to branch out to other holidays. But these Thanksgiving characters didn't catch on like Rudolph, Frosty or Peter Cottontail.
"Billboard" was lukewarm on the record in the review from the October 7, 1950 issue:
I can't say I disagree with the review, but I don't think it really clicked with the moppets!
Looking back and over-analyzing kiddie records 70-odd years later is always an interesting proposition, but my take is that "Little Johnny Pilgrim" is vaguely non-PC in that mid-twentieth-century manner and Guffy's story isn't really inspiring, as all he did was not get eaten!
And I don't like the idea of my potential dinner being, sentient, you know?
Points for having "Johnny" in the title of the A-side, though, and I really dig the artwork!
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