Song of the Day: Jingle Bell Rock
Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms. I’ve never heard of Bobby Helms but I’ve definitely heard this song a thousand times and Helms was the first to release this Christmas classic and his version is still to this day, 63 yrs later, is still the most popular version of the song. While Helms was the first to record and release this song, there is a little bit of controversy about the original author of the song. The story goes that Joseph Beal and Jame Boothe had composed the song Jingle Bell Hop, and that song was provided to Bobby Helms by Decca music label. So when Jingle Bell Rock was released, both Boothe and Beal received writing credits. But Helms and his session guitarist, Hank Garland, both disputed this for the rest of their lives that the song they were provided “Jingle Bell Hop” and the song that they released “Jingle Bell Rock” were completely different song by the time they had finished and recorded the song. Still to this day, Beal and Booth still receive writing credits.
Thanny