So have you been pulling out old Christmas recordings to play? We love the Trop Rock artists’ Christmas CDs, but there’s nothing like some great nostalgia. What about that fun classic “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer?” I get to call the composer of that fun classic a friend. Here is his story about how the song came to be.
Randy Brooks grew up with music with his father being a choir director and organist. Randy and his younger brother got an early start with music fame when they performed on the “Ted Mack Amateur Hour” back in the early 1960’s. For those of us who remember seeing that show on our black and white televisions, we know that was “big time,” back in the day.
In high school, Randy formed a folk band, patterned after the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary. He also had a successful band in the 70s called “Young Country.” But it would be an evening in college that changed this folk singer/ songwriter’s life.
You know how country and western music lyrics often made you cry into your beer back in those days? Merle Haggard had a song out about a very sad demise of a loved one…. Randy decided to write a song about what happens when the loved one has already died. In about 24 hours, “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” had been penned! Little did he know that his cute tune would be responsible for putting his children through college!
The version we’re all most familiar with is recording by a duo called Elmo and Patsy. Randy’s band was in Lake Tahoe with a gig with Elmo and Patsy and someone requested the “Grandma” song. After the show, the duo had Randy record it in their dressing room and soon the song was being played in San Francisco. The Epic record label picked it up and soon radios across the nation were playing the quirky Christmas song.
And what about the legacy of this song? Around 2000, there was an animated television special about “Grandma” and I’ve personally seen the image on “ugly” Christmas sweaters. Stuffed toy reindeer have belted out the tune with the push of a button and scores of cartoons have used the title as a theme. “Grandma: continues to be one of the most popular downloaded Christmas songs around.
Randy Brooks continues to write novelty songs and has a couple of fun CDs. He plays frequently in solo gigs and also with The Bad Monkeys, who is a favorite Trop Rock band in the Dallas, Texas area. Keep listening to “Grandma” this season and know that the composer is alive and well and a super-great guy!
I live in Port Aransas, Texas and love all things Parrot Head and Trop Rock. I enjoy interviewing Trop Rock artists, attending events and always look forward to seeing Trop Rock friends from around the nation! Author of the Trop Rock lyric infused cozy mystery book "Schooled for Murder." Check out my website at www.CindyMuir.com