who originally sang rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally a song written by Johnny Marks and performed by Gene Autry in 1949. The song was inspired by the poem "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," written by Robert L. May in 1939. Over the years, the song has become a classic Christmas carol, and has been recorded by many different artists and performed in various formats, including a popular children's television special.