FLANDERS & SWANN XMAS 78 THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY / YOUTH OF THE HEART R 4528 EX

	£		14
	$		19

AN EXCELLENT PLAYING COPY OF THIS 1959 UK CHRISTMAS CHART HIT FROM MICHAEL FLANDERS PRODUCED BY GEORGE MARTIN

THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY

The words and music to the Christmas song Little Drummer Boy was composed by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone in 1958.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgdMJNdzB0Q

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum 
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum 
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum 
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum, 
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, 

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum, 
When we come. 

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum 
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum 
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum 
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum, 
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, 

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum, 
On my drum? 

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum 
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum 
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum 
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum, 
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, 

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum 
Me and my drum.

Michael Flanders with Donald Swann
& the Michael Sammes Singers.

Recorded 26 Jan 1959.
EMI Studios. George Martin.
Issued Feb 1959 - Parlophone R4528

'Little Drummer Boy' recorded 26 Jan 1959
'The Youth of the Heart' from More Excerpts from
AT THE DROP OF A HAT EP (1959)

The Little Drummer Boy
The Youth of the Heart

Michael Flanders (1922-1975)

Michael Henry Flanders was born in North London, on 1st March 1922, to theatrical and musical parents. He was educated at Westminster School where he shone in athletics, rowing and, especially, school dramatics. In his last term he devised, wrote, directed and acted in a school revue GO TO IT!, asking a talented contemporary, Donald Swann, to provide the music. In 1940 Michael went to Christ Church, Oxford to read history. There he both acted and directed for the O.U.D.S. and the Experimental Theatre Club, playing among other roles Brabantio in OTHELLO, Pirandello's HENRY IV and Shawcross in THE ASCENT OF F6. He made his first major professional appearance on the stage, in October 1941, at the Oxford Playhouse as Valentine in Shaw's YOU NEVER CAN TELL. Handsome, athletic, standing over six foot, contemporaries expected him to become the next Olivier or the Robert Donat of his generation.

He left Oxford to join the RNVR, and in 1943 contracted poliomyelitis, and consequently spent the rest of his life in a wheel chair. Unable to return to Christ Church to continue his studies, he found work on the radio and rapidly became a prolific broadcaster making good use of his velvet-brown voice. A chance remeeting with Donald Swann in 1948 led to their collaboration on material for Laurier Lister's revue ORANGES & LEMONS and for the next eight years they together wrote substantial portions of half a dozen major West End REVUES.

In 1953 Michael was commissioned by the Intimate Opera Company to provide the libretto for a comic opera, THREE'S COMPANY, to music by Antony Hopkins and the following year they repeated their success with CHRISTMAS STORY; both operas were televised. Also in 1954 he translated, with Kitty Black, Stravinsky's THE SOLDIER'S TALE for the Edinburgh Festival - this has now become the standard translation and been recorded many times.

When Michael and Donald decided to hire the New Lindsey Theatre in December 1956 to perform their own material, it was Michael's first professional appearance on the stage since contracting polio. Michael advanced the cause of the disabled by lobby and by example, and possessed the remarkable skill of putting others at ease about his predicament whatever his immense personal difficulties. AT THE DROP OF A HAT opened for a three week run on New Year's Eve 1956 but then transferred next month to the Fortune Theatre, where it ran for nearly 2½ years. 'Flanders and Swann' were now household words and their RECORDINGS, produced by George Martin, were best-sellers. In October 1959 they took the show to New York, where it repeated its London success and that Christmas Michael had a top-twenty hit in the pop charts with his rendition of Little Drummer Boy.

ABOUT THIS RECORD:- 

UK PARLOPHONE R 4528 78RPM  (1959)

HIGHEST CHART POSITION #20 in the UK CHARTS FOR 3 WEEKS

CONDITION - E-

A CLASSIC CHRISTMAS RECORD GETTING HARD TO FIND ON A 78

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