Christmas Classicpenned by Atlantic City songwriter
The popular Christmas song “Jingle Bell Rock” was first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. It has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas season since then. “Jingle Bell Rock” was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal (1900–1967) and James Ross Boothe (1917–1976). Beal was a longtime resident of South Ocean Avenue in Atlantic City.
The classic has been performed by many, but Helms’ version is the best known. The song’s title and some of its lyrics are an extension of the old Christmas standard, “Jingle Bells.” It makes brief references to other popular songs of the 1950s, such as “Rock Around the Clock,” and mentions going to a “Jingle hop.”
