Burl Ives (June 14th, 1909 – April 14th, 1995) was an American musician, singer, and actor who entertained audiences all over the world with a career that spanned more than six decades, made several hundred recordings heard on over 90 records, and has earned himself the title of America's greatest folk singer. Ives began his career as an traveling singer and guitarist which led to launching his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, which popularized traditional folk songs. In 1942, he appeared in Irving Berlin's This Is the Army and became a major star of CBS Radio and by the 1960's, he successfully crossed over into country music, recording hits such as "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Funny Way of Laughin'". Ives was also a popular film actor with roles featured in So Dear to My Heart (1948) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), as well as the role of Rufus Hannassey in The Big Country (1958), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and the film noir Day of the Outlaw (1959). Ives is also well-known for his iconic voice-over work as Sam the Snowman, the narrator of the classic 1964 Christmas television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Ives additionally worked on the special's soundtrack, including the songs "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", both of which continue to chart annually on the Billboard holiday charts into the 2020's.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Burl Ives took a ride with Katy Kurtzman in their own Excalibur Car during the 1978 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.