Donald Yetter Gardner (August 20, 1913 – September 15, 2004) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

who is best known for writing the classic Christmas novelty song " All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth".

Early life and education

Gardner was born in Portland, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree in music from

West Chester University West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university located in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the ...

.Oliver, Myrna (September 26, 2004)
"Donald Gardner, 91; Wrote the Popular 'Two Front Teeth' Christmas Tune"
''Los Angeles Times''.

Career

Gardner wrote " All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" in 1944 while teaching music at public schools in

Smithtown, New York Smithtown is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Suffolk County, New York, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. The population was 116,296 at the 2020 United ...

. He asked the class what they wanted for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

and noticed that almost all of them had at least one front tooth missing and answered with a lisp. Gardner wrote the song in 30 minutes. In a 1995 interview, Gardner said, "I was amazed at the way that silly little song was picked up by the whole country." The song was published in 1948 after an employee of Witmark music company heard Gardner sing it at a music teachers' conference. The song was introduced in 1948 by singing group The Satisfiers on

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

's radio show,"Angels We Have Heard: The Christmas Song Stories". ''James Richliano''. 2002. and originally recorded for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

by Spike Jones and His City Slickers on December 6, 1947, with lead vocal by George Rock. The record reached the top of the pop charts in 1948, and again in 1949. The song was also recorded by numerous other singers and performers, including

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...

The Platters The Platters are an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The act ...

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (1911–1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (1916–1995), and mezzo ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

, and the cast of ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

.'' Gardner later became a music consultant for a major music publisher in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Ginn & Company, wrote songs for music textbooks, and composed numerous

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

s. His published hymns include "Man Shall Not Live by Bread Alone but by Every Word of God" and "Oh, Give Thanks Unto the Lord."

Personal life

Gardner died at age 91 from complications after falling at his home in

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census. It is the home of Olin College. History ...

, outside of Boston.Ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Donald Yetter 2004 deaths 1913 births Singers from Pennsylvania Accidental deaths from falls Songwriters from Pennsylvania West Chester University alumni Accidental deaths in Massachusetts People from Northampton County, Pennsylvania 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers American male songwriters 20th-century American songwriters