How Singing Cowboy Gene Autry Changed Country Music

A Yuletide Legend

Autry’s lasting impact on Western style and country music can still be heard every December. To children of all ages, Autry’s the singer of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The song, based on a character created in 1939 by Robert L. May, further popularized a tale that’s now a permanent part of Christmas lore. While that 1949 single alone would make Autry a yuletide legend, it’s not his only contribution to the American holiday songbook. He wrote another song that seems like it shouldn’t be less than 100-years-old, “Here Comes Santa Claus.” The cowboy movie icon also helped popularize Frosty the Snowman and a character associated with a different holiday on the calendar, Peter Cottontail.