Robert L. May adaptation of Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy Gene Autry. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas". In 1941, May married another Ward employee, Virginia, and had five children with her. She was a devout Catholic, and he converted to Catholicism during the marriage. May wrote two sequels to "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". The first is mostly in prose (except that Rudolph
Robert L. May speaks in anapestic tetrameter), written in 1947 but only published posthumously as "Rudolph's Second Christmas" (1992), and subsequently with the title "Rudolph to the Rescue" (2006). The second sequel is entirely in anapaestic tetrameter like the original: "Rudolph Shines Again" (1954). May also published four other children's books: "Benny the Bunny Liked Beans" (1940), "Winking Willie" (1948), "The Fighting Tenderfoot" (1954), and "Sam the Scared-est Scarecrow" (1972). May told his story of the writing of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in his article "Robert May Tells how Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer Came into Being" from the "Gettysburg Times" published on