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Today’s Morning Coffee Vinyl Side: Burl Ives “Burl Ives’ Greatest Hits” 1967.
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Today’s Morning Coffee Vinyl Side: Burl Ives “Burl Ives’ Greatest Hits” 1967.

This compilation album features songs recorded by Burl Ives between the years 1945 - 1964. As a singer, Ives was considered a Folk Balladeer, and these songs reflect that title. All hits and audience favorites, they transcend time and culture - showcasing Burl at his relaxed best. Pulled from songs he sang his whole career - “Foggy Dew” for example was a song he sang in the 30’s as an itinerant singer, and for which he was once arrested and charged with vagrancy as authorities considered it “bawdy”, - this album captures Burl through to his middle age.

Like a lot of men of his generation, the 1930’s were atypical in terms of opportunity & career for Burl. At some point Ives found himself both on radio and studying drama at Juilliard (after a stint at teacher college), making his Broadway debut in 1938. He’d continue sing through the late 30’s & 40’s, hosting his own radio program, and was affiliated with the serious minded “Almanacs” - a left leaning American folk organization that included the likes of Pete Seeger & Woodie Guthrie and promoted unions, civil rights, and pacifism before famously flipping their stance to support the war to end fascism in Europe. Post war, Ives started what would become a very successful film career.

As a folkie Burl would pay for his earlier pacifist stance by being blacklisted from entertainment in 1950, and accused of having communist sympathies. He ended up testifying before the HUAC (The House Committee on Un-American Activities) in ‘52, in a deal brokered to clear his name and remove him from the black list - at the same time betraying the folkies and all the principles of the folk movement he was so actively involved in. The betrayal (which by accusation included naming names and throwing other men under the bus) was deemed unforgivable by his former folk brothers & sisters.

His film appearances in the 50’s are celebrated, including East of Eden, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and our Man In Havana, and his music career shifted then towards Country in the 60’s, but for my generation Burl is best known as the narrator Sam the Snowman, and singer of “A Holly Jolly Christmas” in the stop motion animated Christmas Special “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”. It’s hard for me to fathom that the menacing screen presence he brought to East of Eden and Hot Tin Roof was supplicated to allow for the emergence of this gentle Grandfatherly figure. Initially aired in 1964, I can’t remember a year of my life (I was born in ‘69) when I have not watched Rudolph - not just once a year but several times each Christmas season. Have I seen it 50 times? Certainly - 100? Probably 200? Maybe…

For my generation (GenX), Burl’s Grandfatherly voice was woven into the matrix of our developing minds as children. Hearing him sing on this album opens up pathways to experience, memory, & feelings I didn’t know could still be accessed. I’m not entirely sure what that will mean for me as I leave my house to go into the world today.

Ives continued to sing, and act, up until the age of 80. There was a reconciliation with Pete Seeger (or at least a letting go and forgiveness on Pete’s part), and an official retirement before Burl passed away in his mid 80’s of lung cancer (having been a smoker all his life).

A lot of this information about Burl I didn’t know till this morning so I’ll have to meditate and reflect for a while. I realize today I’m as old now as he was when he recorded Holly Jolly Christmas. I turn 54 in a week, and that’s got my head spinning too. I’m nobody’s Grandpa - yet here I am.

#morningcoffeevinylside #vinyladay #vinylcommunity #vinyladdict #vinylrecords #folkmusic #burlives #samthesnowman #rudolphtherednosedreindeer #peteseeger
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Today's Biggest Hits
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morningcoffeevinylside, vinyladay, vinylcommunity
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