The "Jingle Bells" city of America.
Jingle Bells, one of our favorite holiday songs, does not sound much like a song of the sunny old south. But interestingly, at the time it was copyrighted in 1857, the man who composed it was living right here in Savannah and considered this his adopted city.
His name was James Lord Pierpont, originally from Medford, Massachusetts.
Pierpont the composer was a kind of Stephen Foster character, always writing music, and something of a wanderer. From all accounts, he was tall and handsome, charming, and had many friends; but he seemed to have a hard time making a living.
He arrived in the early 1850s where his brother John, Jr. had just become minister of the Unitarian Church. He became the church organist and also gave music and singing lessons.
From what we know, Pierpont wrote a great deal of music when he was in Savannah. By 1854 he was describing himself on sheet music as "A Gentleman of Savannah". He was composing snappy banjo tunes for the new minstrel shows sweeping the country, polkas, romantic love songs, and nostalgic ballads about home, family , and early death -- all popular themes in Victorian America.
Still residing in Savannah, his most popular song was published in Boston in 1857. It was titled, "One Horse Open Sleigh". Within two years, it was retitled as "Jingle Bells".
The song earned little fame or fortune for Pierpont during his lifetime, although he renewed the song's copyright in the 1880s. He died and was buried at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah in the Purse family plot.
With the advent of radio and the phonograph shortly after his death, the song achieved fame throughout the world.
In the 1980s, then Mayor John Rousakis proclaimed Savannah, Georgia the "Jingle Bells" city of America.
