<P> `` Rudolph , the Red - Nosed Reindeer '' is a song by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company . Gene Autry 's recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949 . </P>
origin of rudolph the red nosed reindeer song
songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer