This is my first try using my new uke. Not the best- room to improve.
Before it became world famous as the “Little Drummer Boy,” the song was originally titled “Carol of the Drums” because of the repeating line “pa rum pum pum pum,” which imitates the sound of a drum. It’s not certain who wrote the song, but the “Little Drummer Boy” is believed to have been written by Katherine K. Davis in 1941. The song lyrics are said to be based on an old Czech carol. It was recorded for Decca as “Carol of the Drum” by the Trapp Family Singers in 1951 and credited to Davis. But Davis isn’t the only person credited with writing the song. According to some reports, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone penned the lyrics to the song. Just as it’s not entirely certain who deserves lyrical songwriting credit for the “Little Drummer Boy,” questions surround the music composition credits for the song as well. Jack Halloran recorded it in 1957. His daughter, Dawn, stated in a letter to famous music collector Jerry Osborne that her father “did the original choral arrangement and recorded it for Dot Records in 1957.” She added, “Dot, unfortunately, didn’t put the single out for the 1957 Christmas season, and Simeone succeeded in getting composing credit (along with Henry Onorati and Davis) for a piece he had nothing to do with.”