who originally sang rudolph the red nosed reindeer

The song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was first recorded by Gene Autry in 1949. However, the song was written by the songwriting duo of Johnny Marks and Robert May in 1948. It was based on a poem that May had written for his younger brother, who was bullied for having a red nose. The poem was first published in a children's magazine in 1939, and the song became a Christmas classic.