It’s 1956 and A Song Called ‘The Auctioneer’ Is Selling 2.5 Million Copies

Let's make one thing clear first.

LeRoy Van Dyke was an auctioneer. Seriously. The man behind the massive classic 'The Auctioneer' was an auctioneer. So I guess you can say he came to write the song honestly!

LeRoy wrote the song that continues to live decades later while stationed in Korea during the Korean War. In fact, according to Wkipedia, he performed the song for his fellow troops while being on the same bill as the legendary Marilyn Monroe!

After finishing his military service, LeRoy signed with Dot Records and 'The Auctioneer' became a worldwide hit in 1956. It didn't matter where you tuned the radio, 'The Auctioneer' was everywhere. It was a number one smash on both the country and pop/rock charts and made LeRoy an international star.

Interestingly, 'The Auctioneer' was not LeRoy Van Dyke's biggest hit. Nope. His 1961 smash 'Walk On By' spent an incredible 19 weeks at number one on the country charts. That's right. Nineteen!

But for millions, it's 'The Auctioneer' that largely defines a hugely successful music career that has lasted decades. How many of us has tried (and I stress tried) to sing along with the great classic 'The Auctioneer'?