Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song) Rudolph's general acceptance in the mythology as the lead reindeer of Joulupukki, the Finnish Santa. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song) "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a song by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" published by the Montgomery Ward Company. Gene Autry's recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949. In 1939 Marks's brother-in-law, Robert L. May, created the character Rudolph as an assignment for Montgomery Ward and Marks decided to adapt the story of Rudolph into a song. The song had an added introduction, paraphrasing the poem "A
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