Voting Station

Katherine Kennicott Davis

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Songwriter

The Resume

    (June 25, 1892-April 20, 1980)
    Born in St. Joseph, Missouri
    Katherine Kennicott Davis
    Wrote the song 'The Little Drummer Boy' (1941)
    Studied music at Wellesley College in Massachusetts
    Penned over 600 compositions
    Other works include 'Let All Things Now Living,' 'Our God is a Rock,' 'Shepherds, Awake!' and 'Hornpipe'

Why she might be annoying:

    She published her early work under a male pseudonym.
    Her song was popularized by The Von Trapp Family Singers (great...)
    Her song is played and covered ad nauseam on radios around the holiday season.
    She only transcribed the lyrics to 'Drummer Boy' from a Czech carol, although the original carol supposedly has never been found.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She composed her first piece of music at the age of 15.
    She studied music at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
    She won Wellesley's prestigious Billings Prize for her music (1914).
    She left all of the royalties and proceeds from her compositions to the Wellesley College's Music Department.
    'Little Drummer Boy' became a Billboard hit after it was recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale (1958).
    'Little Drummer Boy' has become a holiday staple and has since been covered by over 100 artists, including Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Cash.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying