“Run Run Rudolph” (originally titled “Run Rudolph Run”) was written by rock- and-roll pioneer Chuck Berry, but the official songwriting credits list Johnny Marks and Marvin (M.) Brodie because of rights issues around the Rudolph character.

Who actually wrote it?

  • Chuck Berry has consistently said he wrote the song himself and first recorded it in 1958 for Chess Records.
  • However, because the name “Rudolph” was trademarked, the publishing and official credits ended up under Johnny Marks (famous for “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”) and M. Brodie.

Why the credit confusion?

  • Johnny Marks owned or controlled rights tied to the Rudolph character, so when Berry used Rudolph in a new Christmas song, Marks pushed for legal and credit control.
  • Berry later said Marks “had nothing to do with the song” and claimed that “M. Brodie” was essentially a business name used in a royalty-sharing arrangement rather than a true co-writer.

So what’s the short scoop?

  • Creative writer: Chuck Berry, who came up with the music and lyrics as a rocking Christmas tune.
  • Official credited writers: Johnny Marks and Marvin (M.) Brodie on most releases and cover versions, due to the Rudolph trademark situation and music publishing practices of the time.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.