Bonus "Jingle Bells" - Yumpin' Yiminny!

Seems about time for a wacky version of "Jingle Bells!"

So, here's Ole Svenson and his Smorgasbord Band with "Yingle Yingle Yumping Beans" on S&G Records from 1950:

Pretty wacky!

Here's the flipside "I Vant a Xmas Drum":

The very end of the record is awesome!

I love Christmas music and I love novelty records, so I'm predisposed to enjoying this record, but there's another reason that it intrigues me...

"Ole Svenson" is really Bernie Jones, a singer/saxophone player who worked with Spike Jones and his City Slickers!

And "Yingle Yingle Yumping Beans" was co-written by former Slicker Del Porter! (Although how did it need four writers when it's already using the "Jingle Bells" melody?)

The Spike Jones connection gives this record some serious cred in the novelty world!

Bernie/Ole played with Spike from 1950-1955 after having worked with Ozzie Nelson's band. I understand he developed the character while with Ozzie.

The Ole Svenson character popped up on a couple of Spike's records, including his 1953 recording of "I'll Never Work There Anymore" on RCA Victor:

That's cute, but it doesn't have the oomph of Spike records from the 1940s. But I always enjoy hearing George Rock and it's great to hear Dick Morgan get a verse too.

Also in 1953, Spike had a concept album on RCA Victor, "Bottoms Up," which featured polkas ostensibly from different countries.

So, who better to sing the Swedish polka, "A Din Skál A Min Skál," than Ole? Here it is:

I feel like the "'Yumpin' Yimminy Fans" thing is a joke I'm not getting!

Del Porter would sometimes come back to the fold for guest vocals and he appears on a few "Bottom Up" tracks including the German polka, "Gesundheit Polka":

That's got a little more oomph and Del's vocals are always enjoyable!

The Ole Svenson character obviously sounds a lot like Yogi Yorgesson, the alter ego of Harry Stewart who broke through to mass popularity with his hit coupling of "Yingle Bells" and "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas" in 1949.

The lines get blurred in 1955 when Yogi cut "The Ballad of Ole Svenson" on Capitol Records:

I wonder why Yogi used the Ole Svenson name. There's no particular reason to use that name on this Davy Crockett-inspired novelty. Just an inside joke?

You may recall that Yogi had some records for the same S&G label as Ole before Yogi signed with Capitol.

Bernie Jones kept using the Ole Sveson name on TV and records, including this 1957 album on the Verve label, "Hi-Fi Polka Party" by The Polka Dots Starring Ole Svenson, as produced by Spike Jones:

And since I seem to be doing a deep dive, I'll point out that the melody of "I Vant a Xmas Drum" is the Civil War pro-Union tune "Kingdom Coming."

Arrangers Eddie Sauter and Bill Finegan also used the song as the basis for their 1952 hit "Doodletown Fifers" on RCA Victor:

OK, I think that covers everything for now! Whew!