The Little Drummer Boy

Originally titled “Carol of the Drum,” the song eventually known as “The Little Drummer Boy” was written in 1941 by Katherine Kennicott Davis, who was a classical music composer and teacher. It first was recorded by the Trapp Family Singers and tells the story of a poor boy who had no gift to offer the Baby Jesus.

Mary agrees to let him play his drum as a gift. One of the more notable recordings of the song was a collaboration by David Bowie and Bing Crosby for a 1977 television special, which interwove “The Little Drummer Boy” with “Peace on Earth.”