Martina McBride: O Holy Night (Acapella)

Martina McBride singing O Holy Night using her voice as a musical instrument showing you don’t need music when singing with her great voice.

Flash Mob Sings Hallelujah Chorus

Flash mob erupts in song singing the Hallelujah Chorus in mall food court in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, Canada.

It was another day for busy shoppers in an Ontario mall and as many shoppers ate in a food court a lady starts singing the Hallelujah Chorus while seemingly talking on a telephone and then more and more singers join in until a huge group sings their part of the Hallelujah Chorus.

Christmas and Lord’s Prayer Connection

This clip from the Amos and Andy television shows reminds us of the what the words in The Lord’s Prayer mean. The entire program can be found on YouTube but the most meaningful part starts at the 3:55 mark on the video.

The show was heard on old time radio before the television show debuted.

Alabama: Christmas in Dixie

Alabama was one of the best selling groups among all genres selling more albums than Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Chicago.

It doesn’t seem like it has been 28 years since Christmas in Dixie was released by Alabama in 1982. This is an audio only version and haven’t found a video of Alabama singing it.

This is one of those picture songs in that the lyrics paint a picture bringing images of Christmases past as we listen to the song.  Haven’t heard this song played so far this Christmas season on any radio stations playing Christmas music.

It is songs like this that made Alabama one of the best country music groups with 32 songs reaching No.1 from 1980 to 1993. They finished their farewell tour in 2004 and have been retired from the road since then.

GACTV.com describes how well Alabama sold albums:

With 65 million albums sold worldwide, they’re one of the 20 best-selling acts of all time. In the U.S. alone, Alabama has sold more albums than Eric Clapton or Bob Dylan. They’ve outsold veteran rock bands like Chicago, Journey, Foreigner, Boston and even The Doors. And Alabama is one of the five biggest-selling country acts and the best-selling country group of all time, with career album sales that surpass those of Willie Nelson and Reba McEntire. The band was named Recording Industry Association of America’s Country Group of the Century.

I can still remember them coming to Rapides Parish Coliseum before they were well known but don’t know if they appeared there after they achieved stardom.

That is problem for the coliseum. Musical stars today like large venues because the larger the arena the more profits for the singers and their employees. It would be interesting to know if any major stars have appeared there in the last few years.

However back in 1977 Elvis Presley actually had back to back shows there on successive nights even though the coliseum had a capacity in the neighborhood of 8,000 seats. About five months later Elvis died in Memphis.

Mel Torme: The Christmas Song

Mel Torme talking about and singing The Christmas Song on the Merv Griffin Show 25 years ago in 1985. Mel tells Merv Griffin that the song was written in 1945 while Wikipedia says it was written in 1944 so one of them has to be wrong.

Michael Buble singing The Christmas Song in this audio only version.

Martina McBride: I’ll Be Home For Christmas

Martina McBride singing I’ll Be Home For Christmas.

I’ll Be Home For Christmas is a song that really meant a lot to me when I was in the Army in Hawaii for the Christmases of 1963, 1964 and 1965 four thousand miles from home in Pineville, Louisiana.

However playing the song in the barracks didn’t go over well since it reminded the other soldiers they would not be home for Christmas and they let me know in no uncertain terms not to play the song again.

There is a warm feeling to have a family together for Christmas and this song expresses that feeling.

The song was written in 1943 and is still popular 67 years later. Bing Crosby was the first to record the song and combined with his White Christmas which was first sung in public by Crosby in 1941 to make him well known for singing Christmas songs.

Since the song was written during wartime in 1943 it really hit home for soldiers stationed overseas.

Johnny Paycheck: A-11

A young Johnny Paycheck singing the Buck Owens hit A-11.

Johnny singing She’s All I Got with a new look from the previous video.

Johnny with yet another look singing his monster hit Take This Job and Shove It a David Allan Cole song.

 

Paycheck’s real name was Donald Eugene Lytle. He got the name from Johnny Paycheck a boxer who fought the legendary Joe Louis.

He died at the age of 64 in 2003 in Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee and was suffering with asthma and emphysema.

Jack Greene: Statue of a Fool

Jack Greene singing his 1968 No.1 hit Statue of a Fool in a 2008 country music reunion.

Greene went from being a member of the Peach Tree Boys to being a member of the Ernest Tubb’s band the Texas Troubadors.

He claims on the above video that he had nine No.1 hits but his discography shows only five No.1′s.

Jack Greene singing Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me. He made the mistake of recording this song the same time as Ray Price but he still does a great job on it and Ronnie Milsap also recorded it and took it to No.1 on the Billboard Country Music chart in 1968.

Greene is not a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame probably due to him having his No.1 songs in a four year period from 1966-1969 and only having one more Top 10 hit the rest of his career.

Dear John Letter: Jean Shepard, Ferlin Husky

Jean Shepard and Ferlin Husky singing Dear John Letter in 1953. Jean is shown with Skeeter Davis the former wife of country music disc jockey Ralph Emery and Hawkshaw Hawkins her late husband who died in the plane crash that also took the lives of Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas.

Jean and Ferlin singing Dear John Letter 47 years later in 2000 at a reunion of country music stars.

Dear John letters seemed to have originated during World War II when a girlfriend of a soldier would send a letter informing the soldier that they had found another man back home after growing impatient over the long wait for their soldier boyfriend to come home.

With so many women serving overseas during World War II they would receive Dear Jane letters from boyfriends.

Sometimes Dear John letters would only have the salutation of Dear John and nothing else causing the expression “That’s all she wrote” when questioned about the contents of the letter.

Can you imagine a soldier in the European theater who had been part of the D-Day invasion at Normandy and survived and then a few days later receive a Dear John letter?

I don’t know for a fact but I doubt if soldiers during wartime left the war zone to return home for leave so their girlfriends became impatient after not seeing her boyfriend for several years and started looking around for male companionship in their own hometown.

I am sure that almost 70 years later Dear John and Dear Jane letters are still being written to our soliers in Iraq and Afghanistan and will be written in wars not yet fought.

Connie Smith, Martina McBride: Once a Day

Connie Smith and Martina McBride singing Once a Day written by Bill Anderson. It was at No.1 on the Billboard Country Music charts for more weeks than any song recorded by a female country artist.

It was Smith’s debut single after signing with RCA Victor Records. Ironically it was her only single to reach No.1 on the charts although she had 17 songs to reach the Top Ten.

Connie Smith singing a couple of gospel songs highlighted by her rendition of How Great Thou Art which she sings better than anyone I have ever heard sing it.

Johnny Mathis: Sleigh Ride

Sleigh Ride is a song that is included on many Christmas albums but the word Christmas or any mention of Christmas is absent from the song.

For those wanting to sing along with the above video the lyrics are provided by All Christmas Lyrics.com

http://www.allchristmaslyrics.com/sleigh-ride-lyrics.htm

Still it is one of my favorite songs sang during the Christmas season. The Johnny Mathis version in my opinion is by the far the best of the many versions sung over the years.

The composer Leroy Anderson finished writing the music for the song in 1948 while the lyrics weren’t written until 1950 by Mitchell Parish.

The song is thought to be first recorded by the Andrews Sisters in 1950. Johnny Mathis didn’t record his popular version until 1958.

A book about Leroy Anderson written by Steve Metcalf makes this shocking statement which can be taken for what it is worth:

According to author Steve Metcalf in the book Leroy Anderson: A Bio-Bibliography [Praeger 2004], “‘Sleigh Ride’ … has been performed and recorded by a wider array of musical artists than any other piece in the history of Western music.”

Personally I would beg to differ but have no proof to back it up since I am sure there are other songs that have been recorded by more artists than Sleigh Ride.

The following article written about the 25 Christmas songs four years ago tells some interesting facts including the fact that Johnny Marks best known for writing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer also wrote two other songs in the Top 25 Christmas songs.

Those songs are Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and Holly, Jolly Christmas.

 

Funny Signs

 

This sign lets speeders know a cop is behind the sign so drivers can jam on their brakes and hope the cop doesn't notice they are going 75 MPH in a 30 MPH zone.

This sign lets potential trespassers know the consequences of trespassing on this land. The sign guarantees that trespassers will be shot at least once and maybe twice.

This warning sign gives a good reason to keep track of your kids.

Drivers should take a photo of this sign to prove they really did run into some road construction on the way to work.

At least the dead person would save the money from the $200 fine so they won't have to worry about their bank account being overdrawn.

Think I would opt to use another parking space since the alternatives are not good ones. Doctor told me I am allergic to rabid squirrels so that makes the decision even easier and sure don't want any knocking sounds since the last two knockings sounds from our Explorer cost almost $3,000 to repair and our bank account shows $30 so won't have money for repairs until Justin Bieber retires from the music industry.

This is literally a four way stop sign since can't turn left or right or go forward or backward. Just hope the road construction is finished before the BCS Bowl.

Joni James: In the Still of the Night Album

Joni James shown on the cover of her In the Still of the Night album which was recorded in 1955. Joni has one of the clearest, easy to listen to voices among all female jazz singers.

 

Joni James shown seven years later on her I'm Your Girl album and looks even younger than she appeared on the In the Still of the Night album.

This is my second post about Joni James but have since found out that she was the first American to record at London’s Abbey Road studio.  She went on to record a total of five albums at the historic studio.

Joni James was born in Chicago on September 22, 1930 as Giovanna Carmello Babbo before changing her name to Joni James so her original name wouldn’t be misprounounced.

While listening to a clip on David Gasten’s This is Vintage Now of Beverly Kenney it reminded me of Joni James.

The following interview is only a written interview but contains some interesting facts like Elvis Presley displaying her album covers on his wall at Graceland.

http://www.classicbands.com/JoniJamesInterview.html

Miss James was out of the music business from 1964 till 1986 to take care of her sick husband Tony Acquaviva who died

She would record seven songs that charted in the Top 10 during his first three years of recording and those songs would be the only ones to chart in the Top 10.

Joni James singing her No. 1 hit Why Don’t You Believe Me at Carnegie Hall in this audio only recording which was No.1 in 1952.

4 Sentimental Reasons Barbershop Quartet

Cliff Newman an Army friend from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii is shown in this video of the 4 Sentimental Reasons barbershop quartet. Cliff is the singer on the left. He worked in Finance Dept. for 25th Admin. Co. of the 25th Infantry Division.

Quinn Sullivan, Guitar Whiz Now 11

Quinn Sullivan singing on Ellen show at the age of six in 2006.

Sullivan playing on stage at a Buddy Guy concert at the age of eight. Guy is amazed at his guitar skills and can’t get over how good he is at such a young age.

Sullivan three years later playing at the House of Blues with Buddy Guy at the age of 11. Sullivan exhibits his vocal prowess in addition to his excellent guitar playing.

Farther Along: Florida Boys, Brad Paisley Versions

Farther Along is best known for the slower version but this faster version by the Florida Boys featuring the late  bass singer Billy Todd who later joined the Dixie Echoes later in his career delivers the same message as this slower version.

Brad Paisley singing Farther  Along in a much slower audio only version that is more traditional. Paisley sings this song as well as anyone I have heard sing it.