Born in Tioga, Texas, Autry was raised in Texas and Oklahoma. Discovered by humorist Will Rogers, in 1929 Autry was billed as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy" at KVOO in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He gained a popular following, a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1929, and soon after, performed on the "National Barn Dance" for radio station WLS in Chicago. Autry first appeared on screen in 1934 and up to 1953 popularized the musical Western and starred in 93 feature films. In 1940 theater exhibitors of America voted Autry the fourth biggest box office attraction, behind Mickey Rooney, Clark Gable, and Spencer Tracy.
While best known today as the singer of such holiday fare as Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane), Frosty The Snowman, Peter Cottontail, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the second all-time best selling Christmas single of all time, Autry made 640 recordings, including more than 300 songs written or co-written by him. His records are reputed to have sold more than 100 million copies. His recording of That Silver-Haired Daddy Of Mine is reputed to have sold more than 5 million copies. Autry's other significant recordings include:
* You Are My Sunshine (1931)
* A Face I See at Evening (1931)
* The Last Roundup (1933)
* Cowboy's Heaven (1934)
* South of the Border (1934)
* Tumbling Tumbleweeds (1935)
* Mexicali Rose (1935)
* Take Me Back to My Boots and Saddle (1935)
* Gold Mine in the Sky (1937)
* Back in the Saddle Again (1939)
* Blueberry Hill (1941)
* Be Honest With Me (1946)
* Ghost Riders in the Sky (1949)
* Nobody's Darlin' but Mine (1957)
From 1940 to 1956 Autry hosted the weekly Melody Ranch radio show over the CBS Radio Network, featuring Autry's trademark theme song Back In The Saddle Again. In addition, Autry's popularity was apparent during his personal appearance tours. Claimed to have been the first performer to sell out Madison Square Garden, his concert and rodeo appearances throughout the United States and Europe served as a model for other performers. Autry often did two shows a day, seven days a week, for 65 to 85 days at a stretch.
In 1950, Autry became one of the first major movie stars to turn to television. For the next five years he produced and starred in 91 half-hour episodes of The Gene Autry Show for CBS Television. This success lead him to produce such popular TV series as Annie Oakley, The Range Rider, Buffalo Bill Jr., The Adventures Of Champion as well as the first 39 episodes of Death Valley Days.
He carried his love for entertaining and sharp business sense into broadcasting, where, under the Golden West Broadcasters banner, he owned a chain of radio and television stations throughout the Western United States, including KMPC and KTLA in Los Angeles and KSFO in San Francisco until the late 1980's. His other business interests included the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs, and several other properties. He ranked for many years on the Forbes magazine list of the 400 richest Americans, before he fell in 1995 to the magazine's "near miss" category with an estimated net worth of $320 million.
Autry's broadcasting interests that led him in 1960 to acquire the then expansion Los Angeles Angels American League baseball franchise (later the California Angels). After his retirement from performing in the mid-1960's, much of Autry's time was spent unsuccessfully attempting to win a World Series' championship for his Angels. When he became the first country musician to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he said that there's "only one day that will be bigger than this one for me, and that's when we win the World Series." Autry was a fixture at Angels' games for the rest of his life.
Autry's long-cherished dream came true with the opening in November 1988 of the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, since acclaimed as one of the finest museums on the history and mythology of the West.
Among the many hundreds of honors and awards Autry has received were induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame; the American Academy of Achievement Award, the Los Angeles Area Governor's Emmy from The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences; and the Board of Directors Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Achievement in Arts Foundation. Autry was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, The National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and he received The Songwriters Guild Life Achievement Award. He was also honored by his songwriting peers with a lifetime achievement award from ASCAP.
Gene Autry died at his home in Studio City, California on October 2, 1998 at the age of 91.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Gene Autry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You'll go down in history"
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then how the reindeer love him
As they shouted out with glee
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You'll go down in history"
The lyrics to Gene Autry's "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" tell the story of a reindeer named Rudolph who was ostracized by his peers due to his physical difference, a shiny, red nose. The song begins by listing off the names of other famous reindeer, but points out that Rudolph is the most famous of them all. The lyrics explain that other reindeer would laugh and call Rudolph names, refusing to let him join in on any of their games.
Despite being an outcast, Rudolph's life changes after one foggy Christmas Eve when Santa Claus comes to him and asks for his help guiding the sleigh with his bright nose. The other reindeer express their newfound appreciation for Rudolph, shouting with glee that he will go down in history.
Line by Line Meaning
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
You all know the famous reindeer that pull Santa's sleigh.
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
There are also four more reindeer just as famous.
But do you recall
But amidst all these reindeer you know, do you remember one in particular?
The most famous reindeer of all?
The red-nosed reindeer known best of all.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Here comes Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer.
Had a very shiny nose
His nose was extremely bright and shiny, unlike any other.
And if you ever saw it
And if by chance you witnessed it,
You would even say it glows
You would attest that it glows brightly.
All of the other reindeer
All the other reindeer not as famous as Rudolph.
Used to laugh and call him names
They used to tease and bully him by name-calling.
They never let poor Rudolph
They refused to let Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Participate in any reindeer games alongside them.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
But on one Christmas Eve filled with fog,
Santa came to say
Santa had something to say.
"Rudolph, with your nose so bright
"Hey Rudolph! With your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Wouldn't you lead my reindeer tonight?"
Then how the reindeer loved him
The other reindeer loved him.
As they shouted out with glee
They were cheering with joy.
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
You'll go down in history"
You'll be remembered throughout history."
Lyrics © DistroKid, ST. NICHOLAS MUSIC INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Johnny Marks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BinhLe-rm3oo
Check out the lyrics below.
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
“Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You’ll go down in history”
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
“Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You’ll go down in history”
@alanstevenson-graham6268
Actor, singer, decorated soldier, this guy is amazing
@sancho714sa
Don't forget also the first owner the best baseball team ever The Angels
@alanstevenson-graham6268
@@sancho714sa Being a Brit I know nothing about that great American pastime/sport, but yea, ok, another feather in his cap 👌
@TheAcceleratorMagazine
@@sancho714sa Of course key word is "was". This is from my childhood, or before. Edit: I'm 67. Young at heart but the years don't care. At least some of the music lives on. L8r.
@NiceguyVault76
decorated
@wisdomwealthwit8750
@@NiceguyVault76 Some say his family didn't have money for a Christmas tree, so Gene was decorated every December...
@Barbarra63297
If this song with Gene singing it doesn't take ya back to your childhood and Christmas I don't know what would! Best version ever! Rest in Peace Mr Autry, you brought a lot of joy to kids and adults alike!
@monicawatson1841
He didnt want to record it, his wife persuaded him. The song was written by Robert L May , an Ad writer, hisvwife was dying from cancer and he couldnt afford a gift for his 4yr old child Barbara. Well the book took off, made him a millionaire.
@muhammadsajjad7538
🎠
@lucyfernandez8304
@@muhammadsajjad7538 Oldies