Our 1940s Christmas music playlist moves into 1947 and we run into another big one: "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Gene Autry!
Here's Gene's original on Columbia Records:
That, to me, is the goods! I think everything comes together on that record. The song, the vocal, the western swing band, the sleigh bells. It's very high on my list of favorite holiday recordings ever!
In retrospect, it was something of a milestone as in addition to introducing a much-recorded standard, it was Gene Autry's first Christmas recording and set the stage for his encounter with a particular reindeer a couple of years later!
The record was very popular, but as Gene was co-writer and publisher, he was the only artist to record the song for 1947, but for 1948 there were competing versions by country and western artists Jesse Rogers on RCA Victor and Cliffie Stone on Capitol with Red Foley joining in on Decca in 1949. All good!
It was 1949 that saw the song first appear in non-country versions by other artists.
A popular version was by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters on Decca:
I like that version well-enough and appreciate the extra little "happy days" and whatnot flourishes, by I feel like they don't take the song seriously enough. I know it's a novelty song, but I like my novelties respected, you know?
That brings us to this 1949 recording by Sammy Kaye's band on RCA Victor:
Now, that's a novelty arrangement for sure, but it's sincere. I know that Sammy Kaye is largely dismissed as a corny musical lightweight when thought of at all these days, but he took his business seriously and his groups were always totally professional.
One more 1949 version was from new solo star Doris Day on Columbia Records:
Always good to have a cameo from Mr. Claus!
Once the 1950s rolled around, the floodgates really opened for "Here Comes Santa Claus" and it's been recorded by all sorts of artists in all sorts of styles.
For my dough, though, you can't top the Singing Cowboy!
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