Elmo Shropshire
Shropshire performing in New York in 2009.
Background information
Also known asDr. Elmo
Born (1936-10-26) October 26, 1936
Lexington, Kentucky
GenresChristmas music, bluegrass
Occupation(s)Musician, veterinarian
Instrument(s)Vocals, 5-string banjo, guitar
Years active1970–present
LabelsEpic, SonyBMG, Sony, Time Life
Websitewww.facebook.com/Dr.Elmo.Shropshire

Elmo Earl Shropshire[1] (born October 26, 1936) is an American veterinarian, competitive runner and country music singer. Shropshire, who typically performs under the name "Dr. Elmo", is best known for his Christmas novelty song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer". He originally recorded the song in 1979 with his then-wife Patsy, then re-recorded it solo for the 1992 album Dr. Elmo's Twisted Christmas and again in 2000 for the album Up Your Chimney. He also recorded two albums of year-round songs: Dr. Elmo's Twisted Tunes (1993) and Love, Death and Taxes (2000), as well as other albums.

Personal life

Elmo Shropshire is a native of Lexington, Kentucky and has a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture from the University of Florida and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University in Alabama.[2] He was racetrack veterinarian at Aqueduct and Belmont Park in New York before moving to San Francisco to open his own hospital, Arguello Pet Hospital. In San Francisco, Shropshire began playing banjo in a bluegrass band, and later became a competitive runner.

Success with "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

In 1979, Shropshire recorded "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" (written by his friend Randy Brooks). At the time, he was part of a double act with his then-wife Patsy Trigg; though he effectively recorded the song as a solo record without Trigg's help, they released the record credited as a duet, which he stated was "another story."[3] With the record's release, Elmo & Patsy became regional superstars. They divorced in 1985;[4] Shropshire then married Pam Wendell, a saleswoman who had helped promote the record to retailers.[3] Since then, Shropshire settled a class action suit against Sony based upon the royalties paid from downloads and ringtone sales.[5]

In 2000, he served as co-writer of an animated Christmas special based on the song. For this television special, he also provided the voices of Grandpa and the narrator. In 2007, Shropshire was sued by the Fred Rappaport Company, the producer of the show, over the right to use the song in show-related merchandise.[6]

In 2009, Shropshire appeared on Good Morning America,[8] and in 2010, he appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

On December 23, 2014, Shropshire performed "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" on The Meredith Vieira Show as part of a segment called "Real or Fake".

On December 24, 2016, Shropshire performed on Fox News Channel's "FOX and Friends."[7]

On December 26, 2019, Shropshire was featured in the Wall Street Journal article "What's Your Workout" by Jen Murphy.[8]

Later years

Dr. Elmo 5k Track Race Malaga Spain 2018
World Masters Championships 2018

Today, Shropshire lives in Novato, California with his wife, Pam Wendell.[9] Wendell was a saleswoman and distributor for the "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" records before the song was picked up by a major label.[10] Since 1992, he has recorded several solo albums under the name Dr. Elmo. He has been a competitive runner for 25 years.

On October 13, 2012, he won his age division in the United States National 5K Cross Country Championship in San Diego, California.[11] On October 27, 2013, he won a gold medal in the World Master's Games as part of the USA 4×400 relay team in Porto Allegre, Brazil.[12] In October 2019, Shropshire won the US National 5K Cross Country Championship in his age division.[13]

2022 RACING: Ranked #1 in the World in the Mile & 5K in his age division. Elmo is the USATF National Outdoor Champion (Lexington, KY) in the 400, 800, and 1500M and ranked #1 in the US in those distances.[14] He is the USATF 8K CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPION.[15] (San Diego, Ca) Shropshire is the 2022 National Senior Games Champion in the 800, 1500, and 5K. (Ft. Lauderdale, Fl) [16][17]

Discography

Elmo & Patsy

Albums

  • Playin' Possum (as The Homestead Act) (1974)
  • Elmo & Patsy (1974)
  • Will You Be Ready? (1980)
  • Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (1983)

Singles

Year Single Peak positions Album
US Country
[18]		 US
[19]
1979 "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" — — —
1983 "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" (re-recording) 92 — Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
1992 — 112
1997 64 87
1999 48 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Dr. Elmo

Albums

  • Dr. Elmo's Twisted Christmas (1992)
  • Dr. Elmo's Twisted Tunes (1993)
  • Love, Death, and Taxes (2000)
  • Up Your Chimney (2000)
  • Dr. Elmo's MisceLOONYous Tunes (2000)
  • Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (2002)
  • Christmas in the U.S.A. (2004)
  • Dr. Elmo Sings the Boos (2005)
  • Redneck Dracula (2006) (with the Halloween Ghouls)
  • Redneck Santa (2007)
  • Dr. Elmo Bluegrass Christmas (2010)
  • Old Kentucky Home (2013)

Filmography

Dr. Elmo music videos

  • Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
  • Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer Rap Version
  • Grandma's Killer Fruitcake
  • Uncle Johnny's Glass Eye
  • Christmas All Across the USA
  • Blame it On El Nino
  • The Witch and the Toad
  • Christmas in the USA
  • Prison Without Martha Stewart
  • All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
  • Haunted Hoedown
  • Pointy the Pyramid Pumpkin
  • Redneck Dracula
  • Doomsday Waltz
  • The Fly
  • The Scariest Thing I'll Ever Do
  • What Scares You?

References

  1. ↑ "CHRISTMAS IN THE USA". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ "'Twisted' Christmas song still pays the rent for onetime Ocala veterinarian".
  3. 1 2 Farhi, Paul (December 14, 2007). "All I Want for Christmas Is Not To Hear That Song". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  4. ↑ "AT LONG LAST SINGLES". Stubby's House of Christmas. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  5. ↑ Napoli, Lisa (October 30, 2006). "Ringtone royalties" (Audio with transcript). Marketplace.
  6. ↑ "'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer' singer is sued". USA Today. November 27, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Elmo Shropshire sings 'Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer'". Fox News. February 4, 2017.
  8. ↑ Murphy, Jen (December 24, 2019). "The Guy Who Sang 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' Can Really Hoof It". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  9. ↑ Mason, Clark (December 24, 2012). "Novelty reindeer song still has legs, 30 years later". Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  10. ↑ Knopper, Steve (December 20, 2022). "'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer': How a Holiday Gag Became a Christmas Standard". Billboard. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  11. ↑ "USA Track & Field - Men's Age Division Results".
  12. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ↑ "Sandiego USATF" (PDF).
  14. ↑ "MastersRankings.com – Get off the couch, get in the game". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Results".
  16. ↑ "National Senior Games Association". nsga-results.fusesport.com. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  17. ↑ "National Senior Games Association".
  18. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944–2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  19. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
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