Biography
The enduring holiday standard "The Little Drummer Boy" gained widespread recognition thanks to the efforts of conductor and arranger Harry Simeone along with his chorale. He entered the world in Newark, New Jersey, on May 9, 1911, and developed an early passion for the Metropolitan Opera that steered him toward a future as a concert pianist. Following his graduation from the Juilliard School of Music, Simeone joined CBS Radio, where he served as an arranger for bandleader Fred Waring and later wed one of the vocalists in Waring's group, Margaret McCravy. He moved to Hollywood in 1939 and took a post as an arranger at Paramount Pictures, working alongside composer Victor Young on multiple films such as the 1944 Bing Crosby picture Here Come the Waves and several entries in Crosby's "Road" series opposite Bob Hope. Simeone returned to Waring in 1945 before accepting the role of conductor and choral arranger for the television program The Firestone Hour in 1952.
He secured a recording contract with the 20th Century Fox label in 1958 for a Christmas album. While forming the 25-member Harry Simeone Chorale, he also searched for suitable material and came across "The Little Drummer Boy" through his acquaintance Henry Onorati. The piece, whose precise origins remain unclear though its melodies appear rooted in Czech and Spanish traditions, received English lyrics from Katherine Davis in 1941 yet waited until 1957 for its first recording on the Jack Halloran Singers' album Christmas Is A-Comin', arranged by Onorati. Simeone admired the song enough to feature it as the lead single on his own 1958 release Sing We Now of Christmas. It quickly earned acclaim as a modern classic, inspiring roughly 150 cover versions and worldwide sales exceeding 25 million copies. Simeone reentered the charts in 1960 with "Onward Christian Soldiers" and delivered another lasting seasonal hit in 1962 titled "Do You Hear What I Hear?" He passed away in New York City on February 22, 2005.
He secured a recording contract with the 20th Century Fox label in 1958 for a Christmas album. While forming the 25-member Harry Simeone Chorale, he also searched for suitable material and came across "The Little Drummer Boy" through his acquaintance Henry Onorati. The piece, whose precise origins remain unclear though its melodies appear rooted in Czech and Spanish traditions, received English lyrics from Katherine Davis in 1941 yet waited until 1957 for its first recording on the Jack Halloran Singers' album Christmas Is A-Comin', arranged by Onorati. Simeone admired the song enough to feature it as the lead single on his own 1958 release Sing We Now of Christmas. It quickly earned acclaim as a modern classic, inspiring roughly 150 cover versions and worldwide sales exceeding 25 million copies. Simeone reentered the charts in 1960 with "Onward Christian Soldiers" and delivered another lasting seasonal hit in 1962 titled "Do You Hear What I Hear?" He passed away in New York City on February 22, 2005.
Albums
