Gayla Peevey
Encyclopedia
Gayla Peevey is a former singer and child star from Ponca City, Oklahoma
. She is best known for her recording of "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
" (Columbia
4-40106, 1953
). Peevey recorded the novelty song
when she was 10 years old.
In 1959, she had a minor hit with the song Robot Man, recorded under the name Jamie Horton. The song was covered by Connie Francis
.
with a Bachelor of Education degree. She eventually left teaching and owned her own advertising firm for 15 years. She is married to Cliff Henderson. They have a daughter, Sydney Forest
, and three grandchildren.
.
label.
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City is a small city in Kay and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, which was named after the Ponca Tribe. Located in north central Oklahoma, it lies approximately south of the Kansas border, and approximately east of Interstate 35. 25,919 people called Ponca City home at the...
. She is best known for her recording of "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas is a Christmas novelty song written by John Rox and performed by Gayla Peevey in 1953. The song peaked at number 24 on Billboard magazine's pop chart in December 1953.-History:...
" (Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
4-40106, 1953
1953 in music
-Events:*February 6 – Contralto Kathleen Ferrier, already terminally ill with cancer, leaves Covent Garden Opera House on a stretcher after being taken ill on the second night of her run in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice....
). Peevey recorded the novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
when she was 10 years old.
In 1959, she had a minor hit with the song Robot Man, recorded under the name Jamie Horton. The song was covered by Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
.
Biography
Peevey graduated from San Diego State UniversitySan Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
with a Bachelor of Education degree. She eventually left teaching and owned her own advertising firm for 15 years. She is married to Cliff Henderson. They have a daughter, Sydney Forest
Sydney Forest
Sydney Forest is a composer and musician. Her music has been featured in several films, notably Disney's English dub of Kiki's Delivery Service.- Biography :...
, and three grandchildren.
Gayla Peevey in popular culture
The Oklahoma City Zoo capitalized upon the popularity of "I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas" with a fundraising campaign to "buy a hippo for Gayla". The fund raised $3,000, and a baby hippopotamus named Matilda was purchased and was presented by Peevey to the zooZoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
.
Song/Singles list
All on Columbia records.- "I Want a Hippopotamus for ChristmasI Want a Hippopotamus for ChristmasI Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas is a Christmas novelty song written by John Rox and performed by Gayla Peevey in 1953. The song peaked at number 24 on Billboard magazine's pop chart in December 1953.-History:...
" (John Rox) — With the Norman Leyden orchestra
- "Are My Ears on Straight" (John Rox) (B-side) - with the Norman Leyden orchestra
- "Three Little Bunnies" (Al HoffmanAl HoffmanAl Hoffman , a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame since 1984, was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for number one hits through each decade, many of which are still sung and recorded today...
/ Dick ManningDick ManningDick Manning was a Russian-born American songwriter, best known for his many collaborations with Al Hoffman....
) — with Paul WestonPaul WestonPaul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts...
and his Orchestra (Columbia) (1953)
- "Three Little Bunnies" (Al Hoffman
- "I Wish I Wuz A Whisker (On The Easter Bunny’s Chin)" (B-side)
- "Upsy Down Town" (1954)
- "A Dog Named Joe" (B-side)
- "Kitty in a Basket" (Bob MerrillBob MerrillBob Merrill was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter.Merrill was born Henry Merrill Levan in Atlantic City, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following a stint with the Army during World War II, he moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a...
) — Duet with Jimmy BoydJimmy BoydJimmy Boyd was an American singer, musician, and actor. He was best known for his recording of the novelty song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".-Early years:...
(1954)
- "Kitty in a Basket" (Bob Merrill
- "I'm So Glad (I'm a Little Boy and You're a Little Girl)" — Duet with Jimmy Boyd (B-side)
- "Angel in the Christmas Play" (Bob MerrillBob MerrillBob Merrill was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter.Merrill was born Henry Merrill Levan in Atlantic City, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following a stint with the Army during World War II, he moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a...
)(1954)
- "Angel in the Christmas Play" (Bob Merrill
- "Got a Cold in the Node For Christmas" (Bob MerrillBob MerrillBob Merrill was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter.Merrill was born Henry Merrill Levan in Atlantic City, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following a stint with the Army during World War II, he moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a...
) (B-side)- "Daddy's Report Card" (1955)
- "The Night I Ran Away" (B-side)
- "77 Santas" (AKA "Seventy Seven Santas") (1955)
- "Rubber Legs (The Knock-Kneed Monkey)" — with Paul WestonPaul WestonPaul Weston was an American pianist, arranger, composer and conductor. Weston was born Paul Wetstein in Springfield, Massachusetts...
(B-side)- "Too Young to Have a Broken Heart" (1957)
- "I Want You to Be My Guy" (B-side)
- "That's What I Learned in School" (1957)
- "Do it Again" (B-side)
Singles recorded as Jamie Horton
All released on the Joy RecordsJoy Records
Joy Records was a New York record label and was owned by Hal and Mariam Weiss. It began in 1958 and finished 1965 after releasing 80 or so singles...
label.
- "My Little Marine" (J. Horton/E. Warren) (Joy 234, 1959)
- "Missin'" (B-side)
- "Where's My Love?" (Joy 237, 1960)
- "Heartbreakin' Doll" (B-side)
- "Just So So" (Joy 240, 1960)
- "There Goes My Love" (B-side)
- "Robot Man" (Sylvia DeeSylvia DeeSylvia Dee was an American songwriter and novelist best known for penning the lyrics to "Too Young", a hit for Nat King Cole, and "The End of the World", a hit for Skeeter Davis...
/George Goehring) (Joy 241, 1960)
- "Robot Man" (Sylvia Dee
- "We're Through - We're Finished" (B-side) (J. Horton)
- "What Should a Teen Heart Do" (Joy 245, 1960)
- "Hands Off, He's Mine" (B-side)
- "When It Comes to Love" (J. Horton) - Arranged by H. B. BarnumH. B. BarnumH. B. Barnum is an American pianist, arranger, record producer, songwriter, and former child actor....
(Joy 252, 1961)
- "When It Comes to Love" (J. Horton) - Arranged by H. B. Barnum
- "Yes, I'll Be Your Girl" (J. Horton) - Arranged by H. B. Barnum (B-side)
- "Going, Going, Going Gone" (Rose Marie McCoyRose Marie McCoyRose Marie McCoy was one of the most influential and prolific songwriters of the 1950s and 1960s.McCoy moved to New York City in 1942, pursuing a singing career...
) - Arranged and conducted by Mort GarsonMort GarsonMort Garson who was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, was an electronic musician best known for his albums that predominantly feature Moog synthesizers.-Early life:...
(Joy 258, 1961)
- "Going, Going, Going Gone" (Rose Marie McCoy
- "They're Playing Our Song" (contains elements of "16 Candles") (Ross/Luther Dixon/Allyson Khent) - Arranged and conducted by Mort Garson (B-side)
- "Dear Jane" (Joy 266, 1962)
- "Only Forever" (B-side)
- "Go Shout It From a Mountain" (S. Turner/Jack NitzscheJack NitzscheBernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche was an arranger, producer, songwriter, and film score composer. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, and went on to work with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and others...
) - Arranged and conducted by Jack Nitzsche (Joy 269, 1962)
- "Go Shout It From a Mountain" (S. Turner/Jack Nitzsche
- "Oh Love (Stop Knockin' On My Door)" (B-side)