Burl Ives

Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American folk singer, actor, and author whose career stretched from the dusty roadhouses of the 1930s to the glittering Hollywood soundstages of the 1970s. Born in Hunt City, Illinois, into a family of seven children, Ives first sang publicly when his uncle coaxed him onto a local soldiers’ reunion stage, delivering a haunting version of “Barbara Allen.” After a brief stint at Eastern Illinois State Teachers College, he left school to become an itinerant folk performer, traveling the nation with his banjo and guitar, often sleeping under bridges and occasionally landing in jail for singing bawdy ballads. By 1940 he had secured his own CBS radio program, The Wayfaring Stranger, which introduced millions to traditional numbers such as “Foggy Dew,” “The Blue Tail Fly,” and “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” His warm, resonant baritone – praised for its operatic sheen without pretension – made him a natural fit for Broadway, where he debuted in The Boys from Syracuse (1938) and later appeared in Paint Your Wagon and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

In the late 1940s Ives transitioned to the silver screen, earning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Rufus Hannassey in The Big Country (1958). He became a beloved voice of the holidays, narrating the classic 1964 television special Rudolph the Red‑Nosed Reindeer and recording timeless songs like “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red‑Nosed Reindeer,” both of which still chart each December. The 1960s saw him crossing over to country music with hits such as “A Little Bitty Tear” and “Funny Way of Laughin’.” A lifelong supporter of the Boy Scouts, he received the Silver Buffalo Award and the Order of Lincoln for his contributions to the arts. Even after announcing his retirement on his 80th birthday, he continued to perform benefit concerts until 1993, leaving an indelible legacy that bridges folk tradition, film, and holiday nostalgia.