Haven Gillespie’s songwriting career began in the ragtime era and hit its peak during the golden age of radio in the 1930s and ‘40s. It was in 1934 that he wrote the song he is perhaps best remembered for—“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.”

Gillespie collaborated with J. Fred Coots, the lyricist for “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” The song became a hit after it was sung by Eddie Cantor on his radio show in November 1934. There were orders for 100,000 copies of the sheet music the next day, and over 400,000 copies were sold by Christmas of that year.