Performance · Other credits

J. Fred Coots

J. Fred Coots is credited on 8,165 releases across 2,351 albums tracked on Gatefold, active 1950–2026 — the collector-built map of who actually made the music.

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8,165

Pressings credited

2,351

Albums

Decades active

882

In collections

Biography

John Frederick Coots, better known as J. Fred Coots or Fred Coots, (May 2, 1897 – April 8, 1985) was an American songwriter. He composed more than 700 popular songs and more than a dozen Broadway shows. In 1934, Coots wrote the melody with his then chief collaborator, lyricist Haven Gillespie, for the biggest success of either man's career, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town." The song became one of the biggest sellers in American history. In 1934, when Gillespie brought him the lyrics to "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", Coots developed the outline of the melody in just ten minutes. Coots took the song to his publisher, Leo Feist, who liked it but thought it was "a kids' song" and didn't expect too much from it. Coots offered the song to Eddie Cantor who used it for his radio show that November and it became an instant success. The morning after the radio show there were orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music and by Christmas sales had passed 400,000.

Bio from Wikipedia