PDA

View Full Version : What constitutes a Christmas "Classic"?

RadioJonD
10-11-2006, 09:52 AM
When we talk about Christmas tune classics, seems as if the majority mentioned come from the crooners of the forties and fifties with maybe a few early rock tunes thrown in. I started wondering what would have been a classic for folks in the day before most or all of our classic tunes were recorded. Plus, I am made to think that certain ethnic groups consider other types of music and artists as classic.

I strongly encourage each one to listen to "Blues Before Sunrise" on December 24, www.bluesbeforesunrise.com , for some true Christmas "classics". Host Steve Cushing plays tunes going back to the 1920s!

If you don't like early gut bucket Blues (but who wouldn't?), skip hour three. Cushing does play black crooners from the forties and fifties such as Billy Ward, Billy Eckstine and Nat King Cole though. Have you ever heard Nat King Cole's first recording of "The Christmas Song"? It was with the King Cole Trio a full seven or so years before the hit version we all know today. See if you can hear the major difference between the two!

Here's a playlist from Christmas 2003. I added the year recorded to the side.

BLUES BEFORE SUNRISE FOR 12/21/03
Annual Christmas Program

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water - here it is again - the Annual Blues Before Sunrise Christmas Program! Every year it's the same old Christmas records and in pretty much the same order, but listeners love 'em! Charles Brown, Amos Milburn, Billy Eckstine, Louis Jordan, Nat King Cole, B.B.King, Mahalia Jackson and many more! Over the years we've found so many Christmas Blues records we don't have time for all of them - we have to decide who gets played and who gets benched this holiday. Actually it's fun no matter how many times you've heard the Blues Before Sunrise Christmas Program! And here's the Red-Hot news - we've actually located and included a handful of new Christmas records!

The Annual Blues Before Sunrise Christmas Program - Don't miss it - Only on BBS!

HOUR #1

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER - SUGARCHILD ROBINSON (1950)
THE CHRISTMAS SONG - KING COLE TRIO (1946)
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS - JOE WILLIAMS (1990)
OLE SANTA - DINAH WASHINGTON (1959)
LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE - NAT KING COLE (1950)
CHRISTMAS WON'T BE CHRISTMAS - CALVIN BOSTIC (1952)
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S EVE - BILLY ECKSTINE (1953)
CHRISTMAS DATE BOOGIE - BIG JOE TURNER (1949)
BEBOP SANTA - BABS GONZALES (1955)
CHRISTMAS MORNING - TITUS TURNER (1952)
BOOGIE WOOGIE SANTA - LIONEL HAMPTON (1950)
CHRISTMAS SPIRITS - JULIA LEE (1947)
WHITE CHRISTMAS - RAVENS (1948)
CHRISTMAS BOOGIE - SUGAR CHILD ROBINSON (1949)
JINGLE BELLS - LEO WATSON (1946)
PAPA AIN'T NO SANTA CLAUS - BUTTERBEANS & SUSIE (1930)
AT THE CHRISTMAS BALL - BESSIE SMITH (1925)
JINGLE BELL HOP - JACKSON TRIO

HOUR #2

MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY - CHARLES BROWN (1947)
FAR AWAY CHRISTMAS BLUES - LITTLE ESTER (1950)
BOOGIE WOOGIE SANTA - MABEL SCOTT
CHRISTMAS TIME BLUES - ROY MILTON (1947)
I WANT MY BABY FOR CHRISTMAS - JIMMY LIGGINS (1950)
MAY EVERYDAY BE CHRISTMAS - LOUIS JORDAN (1951)
I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - BULLMOOSE JACKSON (1951)
MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY - LIONEL HAMPTON (1950)
CHRISTMAS BLUES - GATEMOUTH MOORE (1947)
IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME - AGAIN CECIL GANT (1950)
CHRISTMAS BLUES - LARRY DARNELL (1950)
HELLO SANTA - CECIL GANT (1950)
EMPTY STOCKING BLUES - FLOYD DIXON (1950)
WHITE CHRISTMAS - BIG MAYBELLE (1957)
WHEN WAS THE BABY BORN - SWAN SILVERTONES (1967)
CHRISTMAS DINNER IN JAIL - REV J.M.GATES (1934)
SILENT NIGHT - MAHALIA JACKSON (1950)

HOUR #3

CHRIST WAS BORN ON CHRISTMAS MORN - FRANKIE 'HALF-PINT' JAXON (1929)
COME ALL YE FAITHFUL - BLACK SWAN QUARTET (1921)
CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR'S BLUES - TAMPA RED (1934)
SANTA BRING ME A BRAND NEW WOMAN - BUMBLE BEE SLIM (1936)
CHRISTMAS & NO SANTA CLAUS - BUMBLE BEE SLIM (1936)
WRONG WAY TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS - REV EDWARD CLAYBORN (1928)
CHRISTMAS MORNING BLUES - KANSAS CITY KITTY (1934)
CHRISTMAS EVE BLUES - BUKKA WHITE (1969)
SANTA CLAUS - WALTER DAVIS (1935)
CHRISTMAS TIME BLUES - CASEY BILL WELDON (1937)
CHRISTMAS TIME BLUES - BLACK ACE (1937)
LET ME HANG MY STOCKING - ROOSEVELT SYKES (1937)
ON CHRISTMAS DAY - LEADBELLY (1944)
CHRISTMAS IN JAIL - LEROY CARR (1929)
CHRISTMAS MORNING BLUES - SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON I (1938)
CHRISTMAS EVE BLUES - BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON (1928)

HOUR #4

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION - JESSE THOMAS (1951)
SANT'S MESSIN' WITH THE KID - EDDIE C.CAMPBELL (1977)
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION - B.B.KING (1961)
SANTA CLAUS NEEDS SOME LOVIN' - ALBERT KING (1972)
SANTA CLAUS - SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON II (1960)
SONNY BOY'S CHRISTMAS BLUES - SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON II (1951)
THE CHRISTMAS SONG - LEE JACKSON (1967)
SANTA CLAUS CAME HOME DRUNK - CLYDE LASLEY (1967)
MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY - ROBERT NIGHTHAWK (1964)
HOWLING FOR MY BABY - HOWLING WOLF (1951)
BLUES FOR CHRISTMAS - JOHN LEE HOOKER (1959)
REMEMBER LAST CHRISTMAS - GUS JENKINS (1957)
LONESOME CHRISTMAS BLUES -LOWELL FULSON (1950)
CHRISTMAS BLUES - RALPH WILLIS (1948)
SANTA - LIGHTNING HOPKINS (1960)
RUN RUN RUDOLPH - CHUCK BERRY (1958)
BY CHRISTMAS I'LL BE HOME - JIMMY 'T-99' NELSON
MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY - CALVIN OWENS

HOUR #5

LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS MERRY BABY - AMOS MILBURN (1949)
CHRISTMAS WON'T BE CHRISTMAS - CALVIN BOSTIC (1952)
WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR'S EVE - BILLY ECKSTINE (1953)
SILENT NIGHT - DINAH WASHINGTON (1953)
WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS NIGHT - DAN GRISSOM (1948)
WHITE CHRISTMAS - JIMMY SMITH (1966)
CHRISTMAS EVE BILL ECKSTINE (1953)
SILENT NIGHT - RAVENS (1948)
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS - LOUIS ARMSTRONG (1960)
WHITE CHRISTMAS - SISTER ROSETTA THARPE (1949)
CHRISTMAS WITH NO ONE TO LOVE - CHARLES BROWN (1961)
BLUE CHRISTMAS - BILLY ECKSTINE
THIS TIME OF YEAR - BROOK BENTON
DIG THAT CRAZY SANTA CLAUS - OSCAR McLOLLIE (1954)
ZAT YOU SANTA CLAUS - LOUIS ARMSTRONG (1953)
MOONDUST - BILL DOGGETT
Ervserver
10-11-2006, 09:56 AM
nice, not even heard of some of these artists. WIll try to tune in
elfworks
10-11-2006, 12:42 PM
well, i will readily admit to my glasses being in the other room, so while i read and reread this list several times, i do not see PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (CHARLES BROWN). how can that not be on the playlist?? or is it and i just dont see it???


xo
Ervserver
10-11-2006, 01:44 PM
How could they !
elfworks
10-11-2006, 10:56 PM
seriously is it there and i just dont see it?????




xo
Ervserver
10-11-2006, 11:04 PM
nope, just MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY - CHARLES BROWN (1947)
RadioJonD
10-11-2006, 11:07 PM
Charles Brown recorded so many Christmas tunes that BBS has to rotate some of them. I believe "Please Come Home for Christmas" gets played in some years. Host Steve Cushing even played a little game one year to guess the number of Charles Brown tunes in the Christmas show. I forget how many he played that show.

I've got these Christmas shows arcived back to 1995.
elfworks
10-11-2006, 11:09 PM
really..... so if someone sent you an envelope filled with a prepaid return envelope and some blank cds.......



:D


xo
AuntieMistletoeDear
10-12-2006, 08:32 AM
:D Wishful Christmas Music thinking - of course you could fix yourself up so you can download the music as it is playing from the broadcast.

8) I caught an hour or two of the show last year and it was really good.

:) What makes it a Classic if it's thirty years older than I am and I still listen and enjoy it - it's a classic to me. HaHa.

I know it's a busy time of year, but hey, maybe a few of us can tune into the show and meet in the :lol: Chat Room at the same time.
RadioJonD
10-12-2006, 08:51 AM
really..... so if someone sent you an envelope filled with a prepaid return envelope and some blank cds.......
:D
xo
B&P works for me. PM or e-mail me.

8)
RadioJonD
10-12-2006, 09:07 AM
I know it's a busy time of year, but hey, maybe a few of us can tune into the show and meet in the :lol: Chat Room at the same time.

Auntie, do you realize that Christmas Eve is on Sunday? That means we have to stay up late the night on the 23rd to meet and listen to BBS during the wee hours of Christmas Eve morning. Then we have to rest up to be back up for "The Bone Conduction Music Show" Christmas show that evening with Uncle Thayrone! Wow!

My work schedule will dictate when I can get into chat. BBS should be no problem because I can get home in time after work to check in. However, I may be at work when BCMS comes on.
Ervserver
10-12-2006, 01:00 PM
I'll try to be here but it's likely I'll get a hefty load of gifts this year so I may have to start unwrapping a day or two before Christmas.

:cool:
AuntieMistletoeDear
10-13-2006, 07:08 AM
:D Got you thinking about it though.

We're going to be home for Christmas this year, I realize many folks will be busy, but those who can make it should try.

I had a great chat with a few festively cheered folks last year - actually one was extremely festive - if you know what I mean.

Not sure how I'll correlate my naps, but I'll try to work it all out.
MarthaK
10-13-2006, 08:47 AM
RadioJonD,
As to what makes a classic, I think it's a song that resonates with the listener from the get go. It also has to be a song, or performance of a song, that not only touches the the heart of the current generation but the ones that follow.

My Mom still tells about hearing "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby back when she was in grade school. She remembers her teacher saying to the class something like "That song will be a standard for the rest of your lives." How right he was! That song had to be re-recorded after 6 years because the master copy wore out!

And to think of all the memories associated with it, both historically through WWII then the fall of Saigon, but in all the personal memories of Christmas through the generations.

In my lifetime, I would nominate the Carpenters as a modern classic.

I love the playlist of the show you mentioned. Where can I hear it?

Typically on Christmas Eve I listen to "The Big Broadcast" with Ed Walker, a show that plays old classic radio shows. I think you can hear it through streaming audio.

http://www.wamu.org/programs/bb/index.php

(Ed is a local Washington, DC radio legend, who partnered with Willard Scott back in the 60's as "The Joy Boys").

....
RadioJonD
10-13-2006, 09:41 AM
RadioJonD,
As to what makes a classic, I think it's a song that resonates with the listener from the get go. It also has to be a song, or performance of a song, that not only touches the the heart of the current generation but the ones that follow.....
Very well said MarthaK! Your Mom's teacher certainly knew a classic didn't he?

The Big Broadcast sounds interesting; I'm gonna have to check it out. My Christmas CD collection includes an OTR Christmas show boxed set and several that I've downloaded from web sites.

To listen to BBS, Martha, you live in the fringe area for WCVE 88.9 FM Richmond, VA http://tinyurl.com/ybxfne Of course you are invited to listen to a webcast from Alabama Public Radio at www.apr.org . APR runs the show on Sundays from midnight to five in the morning Central Time. And they air a repeat of the same show during the same time slot the following early Saturday morning.
RadioJonD
10-13-2006, 10:08 AM
List of BBS stations - http://tinyurl.com/yhfxgf

Tune in weekly for a musical history lesson! Even though I may not like some of the tunes, I can appreciate their place in music history.

Oh, and if you like Halloween, check out the annual legendary BBS Halloween show coming up on October 29! Here's a sample playlist of what you'll hear. - http://tinyurl.com/yhc97z
MarthaK
10-14-2006, 11:44 AM
List of BBS stations - http://tinyurl.com/yhfxgf

Tune in weekly for a musical history lesson! Even though I may not like some of the tunes, I can appreciate their place in music history.

Oh, and if you like Halloween, check out the annual legendary BBS Halloween show coming up on October 29! Here's a sample playlist of what you'll hear. - http://tinyurl.com/yhc97z

Wow! Thanks Jon! Do check out the Big Broadcast, which is available online after it airs!! Ed Walker plays some GREAT stuff. I have to tune in to see if I can snag Ed's regional "neo-classic" song "Crabs for Christmas." ...you have to be from Maryland to truly appreciate it..

Also, back track to the home page www.wamu.org and look up Hot Jazz Saturday Night with Rob Bamberger. Rob plays the old classic Jazz pieces, much like BBS.

If you are into bluegrass, keep scrolling on the homepage, WAMU is THE bluegrass station in the region.

*sigh* ... I'm asking Santa for an HD radio this year....
RadioJonD
10-15-2007, 09:14 AM
I'm really dissapointed that Alabama Public Radio dropped "Blues Before Sunrise" this Fall. But, I'm looking forward to listening to it and "The Big Broadcast" again this year via internet!

The Christmas shows are not far away now. Don't forget "The Bone Conduction Music Show" (www.thayrone.com). I'll have more posted in the 2007 Holiday Radio Programming thread.