Elmo Shropshire Don t Make Me Play That Grandma Song Again
Published December 16, 2021 at 4:26 PM EST
Photo courtesy of Dr. Elmo Shropshire.
/
Dr. Elmo Shropshire recorded the song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" in 1979. He was 35 and had a veterinary practice. He never imagined the song would become much traction.
"I wasn't very full-time music," he said. "I was still working at my veterinary infirmary. So, I didn't have any expectations at all. And I idea it would just be a fun thing to exercise. And I could give it to a few of my friends for a gag Christmas gift. And that'south what I did."
The song was written by Randy Brooks. They met while playing at the same venue.
"We had a job playing at Hyatt Lake Tahoe," Shropshire said. "And the day we arrived, there was a big snowstorm. And Randy was in the band that had just finished there simply they couldn't leave because of the snowstorm. And they came to see our testify that night. After the evidence, he said, he said I have a song that I think would be great for you. But my ring never wants me to play information technology. And so I sat down and sang "Grandma Got Run Over past a Reindeer" with a guitar."
The vocal was played by a San Franscisco radio station later they got 50 listener requests for it.
"And I my start thought was, 'wow, he'due south playing my song, but I sound terrible'" he said. "And and then December 26 came along, and the bottom dropped out. And I thought, 'Well, that was fun. But I guess it'due south over now.' And a lot of people called in and said that they hated it. And not to play it anymore. And and so some other people called and said, 'nosotros heard at that place was a song where grandma gets killed at Christmas. Nosotros like we want to hear it.'"
Decades after, his song has sold over 12 million copies and continues to grow bigger with each passing Christmas.
Hayley Lemery, A Reporter's Notebook
The Human Behind the Song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"
Every bit a third-twelvemonth journalism student, I never imagined I'd interview the human being who sang the Christmas staple "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." He was a honey friend of my granddaddy.
My gramps, who died in 2018, had told me stories near Elmo Shropshire. They went to high school, college and veterinary school together. Later Shropshire made money on the vocal, he sold his veterinary practise in San Francisco. It surprised me that he was willing to surrender all that endeavor and investment.
"I loved being a veterinary," Shropshire told me. "I have care of friends' animals once in a while now, but I really had the bug to play music. I didn't offset playing at all until I was about 35 and I felt like I had a lot of catch upwards to do. I still take that feeling," he said.
In his 30s, Shropshire began going to watch a bluegrass band perform when he left his veterinarian infirmary for the night. The band took observe of him and invited him over one night afterwards a testify.
"I was simply mesmerized at how great they were. And they said, you know, if you love the music and then much you should endeavour to learn how to play," Shropshire said. And that's how his music career began.
In between seeing patients at the veterinary infirmary, he started playing the banjo. He joined other fans of the bluegrass grouping, and they created a ring of their own, but nobody wanted to sing.
"I started trying to sing and I hated the way I sounded, so I would sing but out of necessity. And at some signal, I took some singing lessons," Shropshire said. Before he knew information technology, he had sold his practice to pursue music.
Another surprising matter well-nigh Shropshire is that he is a competitive runner. Ten years ago, he was asked to join a running club and enter in the Usa Masters 5k Cross Country Championships in San Diego.
"They said yous don't have to win, all you lot have to do is finish," Shropshire said. And he won first place for his historic period group.
By the age of 83, he had run in 22 races. He says he won a gilded medal in the Globe Masters Athletics Championships in Brazil. At 85, he is still running.
Even though this interview was virtually him, I was touched that he brought upwardly my grandad. He said that my grandfather was the true athlete in high school.
"He was a monster," Shropshire said.
Elmo Shropshire is a jack of many trades then who knows what'll come next for him. Whatever it is, I'chiliad sure he won't disappoint.
Source: https://news.wgcu.org/2021-12-16/grandma-got-run-over-by-a-reindeer-was-meant-to-be-a-gag-gift-the-joke-was-on-elmo-shropshire
Belum ada Komentar untuk "Elmo Shropshire Don t Make Me Play That Grandma Song Again"
Posting Komentar