Johnny Marks
John David Marks (November 10, 1909 – September 3, 1985) was an American songwriter. He specialized in Christmas songs (although he himself was Jewish and did not celebrate Christmas) and wrote many holiday standards, including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (a hit for Gene Autry and others), "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (a hit for Brenda Lee), "A Holly Jolly Christmas" (recorded by the Quinto Sisters and later by Burl Ives), "Silver and Gold" (for Burl Ives), and "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" (introduced by Bing Crosby). He is also credited with writing "Run Rudolph Run" (recorded by Chuck Berry) but this is due to his trademark of the Rudolph character, rather than any input in the writing of the song. |
Birth and Death Data: Born November 10, 1909 (Mount Vernon), Died September 3, 1985 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1936 - 1950
Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-101383 | 10-in. | 4/22/1936 | Summer holiday | Eddy Duchin Orchestra ; Lew Sherwood | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-102375 | 10-in. | 7/1/1936 | Summer holiday | Wingy Manone Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | PBS-09885 | 10-in. | 12/16/1937 | Neglected | Fats Waller and his Rhythm | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-018150 | 10-in. | 1/13/1938 | Neglected | Palmer Brothers ; Larry Wynn | Male vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-024075 | 10-in. | 7/22/1938 | Don't cross your fingers, cross your heart | Jimmy Brown ; Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-024456 | 10-in. | 8/5/1938 | Don't cross your fingers, cross your heart | Johnny Messner ; Music Box Band ; Three Jacks | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal trio | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-037685 | 10-in. | 6/26/1939 | Address unknown | Red Nichols Orchestra ; Marion Redding | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-067887 | 10-in. | 9/19/1941 | Who calls? | Alvino Rey Orchestra ; Bill Schallen | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-067929 | 10-in. | 9/25/1941 | Who calls? | Allan DeWitt ; Jan Savitt ; Top Hatters | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | composer | |
| Victor | BS-068312 | 10-in. | 11/14/1941 | Who calls? | Barry Wood | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | composer | |
| Victor | BS-071798 | 10-in. | 2/10/1942 | She'll always remember | Dinah Shore | Female vocal solo, with jazz/dance band | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-071849 | 10-in. | 2/13/1942 | She'll always remember | Carl Denny ; Hal McIntyre Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-071862 | 10-in. | 2/18/1942 | She'll always remember | Ray Eberle ; Glenn Miller Orchestra ; Modernaires | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble | songwriter | |
| Victor | BS-073459 | 10-in. | 3/19/1942 | She'll always remember | Earl Hines Orchestra ; Madeline Green ; Three Varieties | Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo and male vocal trio | songwriter | |
| Victor | E0VB-4637 | 10-in. | 5/19/1950 | Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer | Wilf Carter | Male vocal solo, with string band | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Marks, Johnny," accessed April 18, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107948.
Marks, Johnny. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107948.
"Marks, Johnny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 18 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Johnny Marks
Discogs: Johnny Marks
Allmusic: Johnny Marks
Grove: Johnny Marks
IMDb: Johnny Marks
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Marks, Johnny, 1909-1985 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n99833934
Wikidata: Johnny Marks - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1702357
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/99993018
MusicBrainz: Johnny Marks - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0a82fd0c-18aa-4410-b12a-6cb0f1507cde
ISNI: 0000 0001 1478 5070 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000114785070
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