We've already gone about the history of the classic holiday tunes that we all grew up listening to, but who was it that got us listening to them in the first place?
These songs have been in the public domain for years, and we all know the words, but there's only ever one person that can do them justice.
A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
Burl Ives was a famous singer and banjoist who really popularized this song in the film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, where he played "Sam the Snowman".
His character was allowed to used the banjo throughout his narration which is what Ives was most known for. This is probably where you first heard the jolly tune!
Jingle Bells - The Beatles
It should come as no surprise that the most famous Christmas song was performed at one time by the Fab Four!
There have been many other covers by artists over the years, but the song also has the noteriety for being the first song played in outer space! In 1965, the crew aboard the Gemini 6 played their rendition of Jingle Bells after spotting an "unusual object" flying out of the North Pole.
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole actually released 3 different versions of this song. The first was in 1946, but Cole hated it so much he demanded that they redo it. They tried again in 1953, this time with a whole orchestra arrangement instead of just a string section like the first time.
Finally, they gave it a final go in 1961 and created what has become the definitive version of a necessary Christmastime classic.
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby has actually sang many, many holiday melodies over the years, but this is considered to be his crowning achievement. Songwriter Irving Berlin also believed that this was not only the greatest song he ever came up with, but maybe the best anyone has ever written!
