Spike Jones

Born Lindley Jones on December 14, 1931 in Long Beach, California, the popular musician and bandleader was better known by his stage name Spike Jones. An exceptionally creative and irreverent talent, Jones was known for his spoofs of popular songs and novelty recordings during the 1940s and early 1950s. His unconventional career began in the 1930s when he and his band would record spoofs of current hits to amuse themselves and their families. RCA Records heard one of the recordings and signed Jones and the band – now called The City Slickers – and the band began recording a series of hit singles including “Der Fuehrer’s Face” (1942), “Cocktails for Two” (1945), and “William Tell Overture” (1948). Providing humorous entertainment during the dark days of World War II made Spike Jones and The City Slickers one of the most popular bands of the era. Jones began to offer up seasonal fare at Christmas time each year, scoring hits with “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth” (1948), “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” (1950) and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause” (1952). Jones’ success began to wane during the second half of the ‘50s, although he continued to release albums including Dinner Music For People Who Aren’t Very Hungry (1956), Spike Jones Presents a Xmas Spectacular (1956) and Spike Jones in Stereo (1959). Spike Jones died on May 1, 1965 from emphysema.

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