rootabaga
Android Expert
Vince Guaraldi was a very well respected jazz pianist that the general public never heard of before the Charley Brown Christmas exposed him to the masses. I'm glad he got the recognition he deserved.
He did have one hit in the 1960s, but it wasn't near the exposure that Charlie Brown provided.
The article mentions that and as I understood it Lee Mendelson heard “Winds” (which is itself outstanding) and knew Guaraldi was the man to tap for the Peanuts music.
Boy was he right!