Der Trommelmann

Der Trommelmann, or "Little Drummer Boy" is the last of the 25-track compilation Der Blonde Engel - Marlene 100: 25 Lieder (released under the EMI label on 01 Jan 2003 per Amazon, 10 December 2001 per Google). Originally titled "Carol of the Drum," this Christmas song was written and composed by Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. The Trapp Family Singers was first to record it in 1951.

Marlene Dietrich, German-American actress and singer whose long career spanned from 1910s to 1980s, was born Marie Magdalene Dietrich on 27 December 1901. The American Film Institute named her one of America's greatest screen legends, and she received the Medal of Freedom (in the United States) and Legion d'honneur (in France) for her humanitarian work in World War II. There was initially debate and controversy about her war-time contributions in Berlin, but later, in 1997, a plaque commemorating her was unveiled at the place where she was born. She passed away in Paris in 1992; at her interment, she was honored like a soldier.

This month, liwaliw Sounds features covers of Christmas carols and tunes by great musical performers born on December, and whose passing have left a great legacy in popular music.


[This post is antedated: 20181231]