Songwriter. Born in Portland, Pennsylvania, he is best remembered for penning the popular Christmas children's song "All I want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth." He wrote the song in about 30 minutes in 1944 while teaching music at public schools in Smithtown, New York after asking the class what they wanted for Christmas, and noticing almost all of them had at least one front tooth missing as they answered in a lisp. The song was originally recorded by Spike Jones & His City Slickers in December 1948 and it reached the top of the charts in early 1949. It was also recorded by numerous other singers and performers, including George Strait, The Platters, The Andrews Sisters, Nat King Cole, and the cast of Sesame Street. He later became a music consultant for the music publisher Ginn & Company in Boston, Massachusetts where he wrote songs for music textbooks, and composed numerous hymns. His published hymns include "Man Shall Not Live by Bread Alone but by Every Word of God" and "Oh, Give Thanks Unto the Lord." He died from complications in Needham, Massachusetts at the age of 91, after falling at his home.
Songwriter. Born in Portland, Pennsylvania, he is best remembered for penning the popular Christmas children's song "All I want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth." He wrote the song in about 30 minutes in 1944 while teaching music at public schools in Smithtown, New York after asking the class what they wanted for Christmas, and noticing almost all of them had at least one front tooth missing as they answered in a lisp. The song was originally recorded by Spike Jones & His City Slickers in December 1948 and it reached the top of the charts in early 1949. It was also recorded by numerous other singers and performers, including George Strait, The Platters, The Andrews Sisters, Nat King Cole, and the cast of Sesame Street. He later became a music consultant for the music publisher Ginn & Company in Boston, Massachusetts where he wrote songs for music textbooks, and composed numerous hymns. His published hymns include "Man Shall Not Live by Bread Alone but by Every Word of God" and "Oh, Give Thanks Unto the Lord." He died from complications in Needham, Massachusetts at the age of 91, after falling at his home.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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