Elmo Shropshire, DVM is an American veterinarian, competitive runner and country music singer. Shropshire, who typically performs under the name "Dr. Elmo," is best known for his Christmasnovelty song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer". He originally recorded the song in 1979 with his then-wife Patsy, then re-recorded it solo for the 1992 album Dr. Elmo's Twisted Christmas and again in 2000 for the album Up Your Chimney. He also recorded two albums of year-round songs: Dr. Elmo's Twisted Tunes and Love, Death and Taxes.
Personal life
Elmo is a native of Lexington, Kentucky and has a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture from the University of Florida and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University in Alabama. He was racetrack veterinarian at Aqueduct and Belmont Park in New York before moving to San Francisco to open his own hospital, Arguello Pet Hospital. In San Francisco he started playing banjo in a Bluegrass band, and later became a competitive runner.
Success with "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"
In 1979, Elmo recorded "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer", and instantly, Elmo & Patsy became regional superstars. They divorced in 1985. Since then, Elmo settled a class action suit against Sony based upon the royalties paid from downloads and ringtone sales. In 2000, he served as co-writer of an animated Christmas special based on the song. For this television special, he also provided the voices of Grandpa and the narrator. In 2007, Elmo was sued by the Fred Rappaport Company, the producer of the show, over the right to use the song in show-related merchandise. On December 23, 2014, Elmo performed "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" on The Meredith Vieira Show as part of a segment called "Real or Fake".
Later years
Today, Elmo lives in Novato, California with his wife, Pam Wendell. Since 1992, he has recorded several solo albums under the name Dr. Elmo. In 2009, Dr. Elmo appeared on Good Morning America, and in 2010, he appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. In October 2019, Elmo won the US National 5K Cross Country Championship in his age division. 2018 Elmo is Ranked #1 in the US track 5K. On October 13, 2012, Elmo Shropshire won his age division in the United States National 5K Cross Country Championship in San Diego, California, and on October 27, 2013, he won a gold medal in the World Master's Games as part of the USA 4×400 relay team in Porto Allegre, Brazil. On December 24, 2016, he performed on Fox News Channel's "FOX and Friends."
