Who was the first artist to perform "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" to the public?

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gene autry Jan 29 04, 10:11 AM

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In addition - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is an outright invention of 20th century commercialism. He first flew onto the scene in 1939 as a promotional gimmick for Montgomery Wards. They asked one of their young copywriters, Robert May, to come up with a story for their annual Christmas coloring book. The original story was nothing more than an adaptation of "The Tale of the Ugly Duckling." The first name considered was Rollo, but that was considered to be too cheery for a misfit. Then it was Reginald, but that sounded too British so he settled on Rudolph. He tried the story out on his 4-year-old daughter. She loved it. May’s boss was a tougher sell. He was worried about that red nose. He was concerned that people would think they were endorsing drinking and drunkenness. May and a staff cartoonist rushed to the Lincoln Park Zoo and drew pictures of deer and coloured the noses red. The illustrations were approved and Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was born. The retailer gave away 2.4 million copies that year—6 million by 1946. After World War II, Rudolph was hugely popular. There were many demands for licensing the character. Because May created it while working for the company, they held the copyright. May found himself hopelessly in debt after the death of his wife from a lengthy illness. He persuaded Sewell Avery, the company president, to turn the rights over to him. He was financially set for the rest of his life. The story was turned into a nine-minute cartoon in 1948, but Rudolph hadn’t peaked yet. May’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, was the songwriter. It was Marks who composed the words and music that we sing today. It almost didn’t get recorded. Many recording companies didn’t want to tamper with the Santa Claus legend, so they wouldn’t touch it. Finally, cowboy singer Gene Autry stepped in and recorded it in 1949. It sold 2 million copies that year. http://www.countrylinemagazine.com/xmassongs.html Jan 29 04, 10:35 AM

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Who was the first artist to sing the Christmas song 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'? Who was the first artist to sing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" to the general public? Who narrates the 1964 version of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?' Who created the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?

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