The Harry Simeone Chorale was formed in Hollywood in 1958 at the request of film studio Twentieth Century Fox by pianist, arranger and conductor Harry Simeone, who worked in the movie industry after graduating from the Julliard School of Music. They released a seasonal album titled 'Sing We Now of Christmas' and had an immediate hit with the single 'The Little Drummer Boy' based on a 1941 song written by Katherine Kennicott. They recorded other seasonal and worship music through 1966 and their albums and hit singles have been re-released many times. Simeone died aged 89 in 2005.
'The Little Drummer Boy' peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Official UK Singles chart in 1959, number 62 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1962, number 25 on the Adult Contemporary Recurrents chart in 2005, number 25 on the Holiday 100 in 2011 and number five on the Classical Digital Song Sales chart in 2018.
The Chorale had other singles successes - 'Summer Wind' (1965) with pianist Roger Williams went to number six on the Adult Contemporary Chart and 'Anyone Can Move a Mountain' (1967) reached number 15. Albums titled 'Christmas With the Harry Simeone Chorale' and 'Little Drummer Boy' are available in digital form.
