I Wish It Was Christmas Today - Part 4

Today is December 2, and with this posting I will have covered more than a quarter of the 41 tracks on my latest holiday mix, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today." I'd say that's pretty good. Unless I grow lazy or distracted (and I wouldn't necessarily bet against those possibilities) there's a decent chance we'll finish the job by Christmas Day. Here are some thoughts about the next two tracks on this year's mix:

Track 10
Will "Ho, Ho, Ho" for Food, Johnny Carson from The Tonight Show (1990)

I've never watched much late night television, but I'm fascinated by the ups and downs of the various late night network shows. I was once involved with a wonderful person who worked for The Tonight Show when Jay Leno was host and I had a good opportunity to learn a lot about the incredible team of people it took to put that show together and the complex array of moving parts and pieces involved. When NBC decided to replace Jay with Conan O'Brien and then bring Jay back a short time later I followed reports of the network's bungling with great interest. I loved David Letterman's shows on NBC and CBS. I liked and admired Craig Ferguson a lot. My first reaction to Jimmy Kimmel was not positive, but I've come to like him a lot more in recent years. I don't much care for Jimmy Fallon. But none of these folks can hold a candle to the guy who ruled late night television for 30 years as host of NBC's Tonight Show — Johnny Carson.  

Born in Iowa, Carson was raised in Nebraska where he developed an interest in performing magic tricks for family and friends. After a stint in the U.S. Navy where he performed magic tricks for Navy Secretary James Forrestal, Carson earned a B.A. in radio and speech from the University of Nebraska and was hired by an Omaha television station to host a morning show. In 1951 he was hired by a Los Angeles station to host a low-budget late night comedy show that became known as "Carson's Cellar," which caught the attention of comedian Red Skelton, who hired Johnny to write for him. Carson hosted a number of other shows through the 1950s where he honed his live interviewing skills and in 1962 he was hired by NBC to succeed Jack Paar as host of The Tonight Show.

When Carson took over Tonight, it was based in New York and ran for 90 minutes, five nights each week. None of the other networks had competing late night shows at the time, which allowed Carson to create a unique format that ultimately became the standard template for such broadcasts. He started each show to the sounds of the Tonight Show Orchestra playing "Johnny's Theme," written by Paul Anka. His announcer, Ed McMahon, would then intone his famous introduction: "Heeeere's Johnny," followed by a Carson monologue. Following a commercial break, Carson would be back, often in costume with one or more other performer's, for a short comedy sketch. Carson relied on a number of regular characters for these sketches including Carnac the Magnificent; Art Fern, host of the Tea Time Movie show; and Aunt Blabby, a cantankerous older woman. Following the sketch, Carson would welcome a series of guests for interviews, conversation and, often, performances.

I'd say there were several reasons why Carson became the king of late night TV. For one thing, he was able to establish himself without any competition. For most of his run, the other networks ran old movies and other canned programs after the 11:00 local news, which allowed Carson. Second, he studiously remained above the fray — avoiding politics and controversy and capitalizing on his friendly midwestern outlook. He was also blessed with a quick wit and a gift for conversation. Although introverted off camera, he was a wonderful interviewer and he consistently made his guests look interesting and enjoyable. Finally, he was modest and self-effacing, which endeared him to most of his viewers. If one of his jokes fell short, he had a bunch of different ways to soften the blow, as he demonstrated in the first of the two Carson clips I included in this year's mix. The video below has been teed up to begin with the clip I used, though you can dial the cursor to the left to see a longer excerpt from Carson's monologue that aired on December 14, 1990:

I don't know that I ever watched The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson live when Carson hosted the show, but I've watched hundreds of clips on YouTube and elsewhere in the years after he retired and he was an incredibly gifted performer. He also helped launch the careers of a great many comedy stars, including Robin Williams, Freddy Prinze, Jay Leno, Rodney Dangerfield, Steven Wright, Joan Rivers and Jerry Seinfeld.

For three decades, Carson helped millions of Americans end their day and take stock of our affairs. In these days of streaming video and endless programming choices, it's likely we'll never see another host with the broad national audience Carson commanded. It's fortunate that he handled his responsibility so well.

Here are some highlights of his work on The Tonight Show:

Track 11
O Little Town of Bethlehem, The Joy Strings (1966)

This is the third version of this song that I've featured on my mixes. The first was by the late Sally Kellerman on my 2005 mix, "Don't Wake the Kids!" The second was done by Bob Rivers in the style of Eric Burden of The Animals singing "The House of the Rising Sun" from the extra mix I put together in 2007, called "Hooray for Santa Claus!" This one is a straight ahead soft rock version by The Joy Strings, a British Christian group led by Joy Webb, a classically trained musician who was also an officer in The Salvation Army. This version, too, incorporates elements from "The House of the Rising Sun":

The Joy Strings were formed in 1964 with the idea of bringing a more contemporary sound to the music of The Salvation Army. Founded in London in 1865 by Methodist Reform minister William Booth, The Salvation Army seeks to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the hungry, homeless and destitute. The Army currently maintains a variety of projects and programs worldwide including disaster relief, drug rehabilitation, summer camps for underprivileged children. I served on the board of advisors for The Salvation Army's operation in Boston's South End, which was primarily concerned with assisting neighborhood youth. 

From its early days, the Army has relied on music to attract attention to its work and distract unruly crowds. By the 1960s, however, there were concerns that the drum and bugle corps the Army relied on were no longer reaching the country's youth. Army officer Joy Webb decided to attract younger members by playing music that was popular among youth in venues they attended, like coffee houses. She started The Joy Strings for that purpose and the band's music had the desired effect. After appearing on a popular British TV program, the band was signed by EMI and they soon recorded several songs  that made the British record charts.

The following clip offers a good introduction to the group:

Hear The Joy Strings' "We Three Kings of Orient Are" from their 1966 Album "Well Seasoned"

Hear The Joy Strings perform "A Stary Night," Written By Joy Webb

I'll be back soon with more.