GENE AUTRY'S MELODY RANCH "Christmas Party"

 

December 21, 1956 on CBS Radio. Christmas songs performed live on Gene Autry's popular Melody Ranch radio show by Gene, the Cass County Boys and others. This collection of Christmas music and spoken word from Gene Autry's radio show broadcast not only provides rare performances of seasonal favorites but also gives the listener a glimpse of the holidays from the middle of the 20th century.

GENE AUTRY'S MELODY RANCH "Here Comes Santa Claus"

Top Ten Hit by Gene Autry (1947)

 Available recordings

Gene Autry traditionally had a "Melody Ranch Christmas Party" on his radio show the week of Christmas. On the December 21, 1948 broadcast, Gene opened the show with his new hit, "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)." This was the second time that he performed the song which became a seasonal hit. The lyrics originally written and performed by Gene Autry, with music composed by Oakley Haldeman. Autry's original recording (in which he pronounces Santa Claus as "Santy Claus") was a top-10 hit on the pop and country charts; the song would go on to be covered many times in the subsequent decades. Here_Comes_Santa_Claus

MELODY RANCH GENE AUTRY "Champion is lost"

Sponsored by Wrigley's Gum and carried over the CBS radio network from January 7, 1940 to August 1, 1943. The series was off the air when Gene Autry joined the Army Air Corps. After his return, the program was heard again from September 23, 1945 to May 13, 1956. Autry was popular with personal appearances, in motion pictures, as well as on radio and later on television.