PEEVEY'S XMAS WISH

I have decided to add a new topic to the site. It seems that my blog lacks the most important item that should be included...... Music! I will post some different images on a weekly( or more basis) Since I am a big fan of such things as weird or nostalgic, sci fi and general offbeat items, you never know what will hit the posting. And all will have a selected tune to accompany it with a tidbit or so about the picture or song.
I will call the topic" From The Edge". that should cover just about anything that my taste happens to be at the time. Regular postings of the music will continue as always

So without further ado since it is Xmas time let's do a couple of Holiday things!!

Gayla Rienette Peevey was born March 8th, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in Capitol Hill Hospital to Lewin Austin and Edith Irene Peevey. The attending physician, Dr. Jackson. The family moved to Ponca City around 1948 and resided at 508 North Oak St. She began singing as a preschooler at the Second Baptist Church of Ponca City where she and her family were active members, and around the community for various events. When she got old enough to attend Lincoln Elementary school, she sang almost every day for her classmates and for assemblies. The second half of 4th grade her family moved back to Oklahoma City where Gayla began singing regularly on local TV on station WKY-TV. They moved to Hollywood the Summer of 1953 to appear as a regular on the Saturday Night Review hosted by Hoagy Carmichael. She signed a recording contract with Columbia Records around September of that year and recorded "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" and "Are My Ears on Straight" in New York produced by Mitch Miller. It was released Christmas of 1953. Gayla sang it in October on the Ed Sullivan Show prior to it's release. Taking advantage of the song's popularity, the Oklahoma City Zoo did a promotion with the News Paper to raise money mostly from donations sent in by children to buy "Gayla" a hippo. The campaign was a success and Matilda was delivered on Christmas Eve morning. Gayla accepted the baby hippo and then donated her to the zoo. Matilda lived in the Oklahoma City Zoo for over forty years and gave birth to many babies who were placed in other zoos around the country.

Gayla recorded a number of other children's songs, but none caught on like the Hippo song which is still popular today around the world. In fact it seems to have grown in popularity and airplay in the last fifteen or so years.