The voice of Burl Ives, characterized by an operatic sheen without the accompanying artifice, carried him from itinerant banjo playing to international acclaim across six decades. Beyond his status as a traditional folk archivist, he commanded the screen in major Hollywood productions and provided the enduring vocal narration for holiday television classics that remain popular today.
Formative Years and Early Performance
Born in Hunt City, Illinois, in 1909, Ives began his musical engagement early, performing folk ballads like Barbara Allen at local events. His formal education at Eastern Illinois State Teachers College and Indiana State Teachers College was punctuated by intermittent travel. During the 1930s, he operated as an itinerant singer and musician, traversing the United States while performing for his keep. A stint at the Juilliard School in 1933 preceded his eventual transition to professional radio and Broadway.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Broadcasting and Wartime Service
In 1940, he launched The Wayfaring Stranger, a radio program centered on his repertoire of traditional ballads. Following his 1942 induction into the U.S. Army, he appeared in Irving Berlin’s production, This Is the Army. After receiving an honorable discharge in 1943, he secured a position at CBS Radio. His output included the 1944 recording of The Lonesome Train, a narrative composition concerning Abraham Lincoln.
Film and Musical Crossover
Ives expanded his reach into cinema during the late 1940s, notably in So Dear to My Heart (1948). His career reached a critical zenith in 1958 with performances in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Big Country. The latter performance earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. By the 1960s, his musical focus transitioned toward country hits, including A Little Bitty Tear and Funny Way of Laughin', yielding a 1962 Grammy Award.
Legacy in Popular Media
Ives became synonymous with Christmas through his role as Sam the Snowman in the 1964 television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. He performed the soundtrack staples A Holly Jolly Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. These recordings continue to influence seasonal charts into the 2020s. Ives died in 1995 in Anacortes, Washington, and is buried at Mound Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1909, Hunt City, Illinois
- Died: 1995, Anacortes, Washington
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor: 1959
- Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording: 1962
- Education: Eastern Illinois University, Indiana State University
- Notable voice role: Sam the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Questions readers ask
What was the first major radio show hosted by Burl Ives?
He launched his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, in 1940.
For which film did Ives receive an Academy Award?
He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Rufus Hannassey in the 1958 film The Big Country.
Achievements
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor — 1959
- Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording — 1962
- Order of Lincoln
- Instruments: banjo and voice
- Genres: folk music
