Chuck Berry didn’t write “Run Rudolph Run,” though many think he did.
Rather, it was Johnny Marks and Marvin Brodie. Marks, of course, is the gent who wrote the original “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in 1948.
Berry turned it into a hit in 1958, and the rest is Christmas history. I have nine versions of “Run Rudolph Run.” A little piano here, a few horns there, but the riff remains the same. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
“Run Rudolph Run,” Dave Edmunds, 1982, from “A Different Kind of Christmas,” 1994. Released as Columbia single 38-03428.
Dave is one of our faves, as regular visitors know. This is a rather traditional rave-up, as you’d expect from DE. The link is to a CD compilation that’s gone out of print. Even so, lots of interesting acts on that CD — NRBQ, Bruce Cockburn, Fishbone and Shawn Colvin among them.
“Run Run Rudolph,” Lynyrd Skynyrd, from “Christmas Time Again,” 2000.
Skynyrd is another of our faves. This record, though, not so much. This is the only cut I like. There’s some nice roadhouse piano by Billy Powell, with plenty of guitars wrapped around it.
If you’re looking for a Christmas record by a Southern rock band, go with .38 Special’s “A Wild-Eyed Christmas Night.” Way better.
“Run Rudolph Run,” Roomful of Blues, from “Roomful of Christmas,” 1997.
The veteran R&B big band from New England complements some nice guitar work with a big horn chart and some rollicking piano.
1 Comment
December 14, 2008 at 10:15 am
Yeah, both Skynyrd and 38 Special are getting the Mellowmas treatment in a few days, and I was actually against covering either band, because I didn’t think either song was bad enough…