Jingle Bell Rock

Jingle Bell Rock was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal (1900–1967) and James Ross Boothe (1917–1976), although both Helms and session guitarist on the song Hank Garland disputed this. Beal was a Massachusetts-born public relations professional and longtime resident of South Ocean Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Boothe was an American writer in the advertising business. Jingle Bell Rock has been performed by many, but Helms' first version from 1957 produced by Paul Cohen is the best known. The song's title and some of its lyrics are an extension of the old Christmas standard, Jingle Bells. It makes brief references to other popular songs of the 1950s, such as Rock Around the Clock. Helms, as well as session guitarist Hank Garland, both claimed until their deaths, that it was they, not Beal and Boothe, who wrote the song. They claimed that the original song by Beal and Boothe was called Jingle Bell Hop, and that it was given to Helms by a Decca executive to record. This song, according to Helms and Garland, had little to no resemblance to the current song. Helms did not like it, and as a result, they both proceeded to work on it, changing the music, lyrics, and tempo and also giving it a previously missing bridge. This new song, they claimed, was the one that is known today. However, neither of them received writing credit or subsequent writing royalties.

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