Jimmy Devon Boyd (January 9, 1939 – March 7, 2009) was an American singer, musician, and actor known for his recording of the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".

Jimmy Boyd
Publicity Photo of Jimmy Boyd
Born	Jimmy Devon Boyd (1939-01-09)January 9, 1939 McComb, Mississippi
Died	March 7, 2009(2009-03-07) (aged 70) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor musician singer
Years active	1951–1983
Spouse(s)	Yvonne Craig ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1962)​ Anne Forrey ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1984)​
Children	1

Early years

Jimmy Boyd was born in 1939 Mississippi into a musical family, father Leslie Boyd and mother Winnie Boyd. His father, in turn, was from a family of 21 children of musician Bill Boyd. The family relocated to the San Fernando Valley of Southern California when Jimmy was a pre-schooler. Jimmy briefly sang with "Texas Jim Lewis and his Lonestar Cowboys". At an early age, he won a local talent show that led to television appearances, including The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as The Frank Sinatra Show on CBS-TV.[1]

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

Boyd recorded the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" for Columbia Records in 1952, when he was 13 years old. It became a hit, selling over two and a half million records in its first week's release and Boyd's name became known internationally. Boyd was presented with two gold records. Boyd's record went to number one on the charts again the following year at Christmas, and continues to sell as a Christmas song. Collective disc sales by 1966 amounted to over 11 million copies.[2]

Boyd owned horses, so Columbia presented him with a silver mounted saddle. Inscribed in the silver plate on the back of the saddle were the words, Presented by Columbia Records to Jimmy Boyd commemorating his 3,000,000 record of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". When first released, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston condemned the song for implying even a tenuous link between sex and the religious holiday, and radio stations in several markets banned it. Boyd made worldwide news when he went to Boston to explain that, of course, Santa Claus and Daddy were the same man. The following Christmas the ban was lifted.[3][4]

Other recordings

One of his surviving performances available online is with Betty White on The Betty White Show in the mid-1950s.[5]

Personal life

In 1960, Boyd married actress Yvonne Craig (TV's Batgirl), which ended in divorce in 1962. Boyd married a second time in 1980. He and Anne Forrey Boyd had a son together, but divorced in 1984. He remained single for the rest of his life.[6] When asked, "What's the most exciting thing that ever happened to you?" his reply was, "The birth of my son."^{[citation needed]}

Jimmy Boyd died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 70.[4]

Awards

For his contributions to the recording industry, Boyd was awarded a star (located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1959. It made Boyd (at age 20) the youngest-ever recipient of the honor for 45 years, until actress twins Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen (then 18) jointly received a star in 2004.

Filmography

References

External links

• Jimmy Boyd at IMDb
• Jimmy Boyd at AllMovie

На других языках

[de] Jimmy Boyd (Schauspieler)