Let It Snow!, Part 5

Tonight's posting is coming to you from Houston, Texas, where it already feels like Christmas — or at least the North Pole. I mean, it's COLD down here tonight, with temperatures around 30 degrees and a cold, moist wind that cuts to the bone. It's a good night for staying indoors and catching up on stuff. Time to continue with our look at some of the tracks on Let It Snow!, my latest holiday mix for December 2016:

Track 16
A Swingin' Little Christmas Time, by Jane Lynch (2016)

Tim Davis, Jane Lynch and Kate Flannery

I first became aware of Jane Lynch the same way an awful lot of others did, I'm guessing — from her role as Christy Cummings, the uptight lesbian dog trainer in Christopher Guest's wonderfully funny 2000 feature Best in Show. Since that gig, Lynch has been working pretty steadily in both film and television. In 2009 she was cast as Sue Sylvester in the hit TV series, Glee, for which she earned an Emmy in 2010 as best supporting actress.

What I didn't know until recently, however, is that Lynch is also a singer — and a damned good one, too. Several weeks ago, she released her first holiday album, "A Swingin' Little Christmas," which, of course, is where you'll find the tune "A Swingin' Little Christmas Time." Accompanying Lynch on the album is the Tony Guerrero Quintet; Tim Davis, the vocal producer from Glee; and Kate Flannery, best known for playing Meredith, everyone's favorite inebriate on NBC's "The Office." How did this project get going? According to Lynch,

we’ve been touring with the Tony Guerrero Quintet doing a show called “See Jane Sing.” We’ve been this kind of traveling group for the last year and a half or so. Around April, we said, “Why don’t we do a Christmas album?” We were going to do it on our own nickel, so we looked to see which songs are free and in the public domain. There’s some beautiful classic stuff, so we picked 10 of those and Tony wrote five (new songs), and you have our album!

The album has a little of everything — fun and frolicking in places, sentimental and wondrous in others. In short, it's just the ticket to put you in a holiday mood. And if you want an even surer mood elevator and plan to be in the Los Angeles area next Wednesday, December 21, Lynch and her fellow travelers will be performing in the wonderful performance space at Largo at the Coronet. Now, that looks to be a fun evening! Hope to see you there.

Search for Tickets for Jane Lynch's A Swingin' Little Christmas! CD Release Show

Mabel Scott

Track 15
Boogie Woogie Santa Claus, by Mabel Scott (1948)
This next track is a genuine Christmas classic, written by Leon René and first recorded for Supreme Records by Mabel Scott, a respected gospel singer whose transition to popular club act began in the mid-1930s. Scott's version of the tune was a notable hit in 1948, reaching the Top 15 of what was known at the time as Billboard Magazine's "Race Chart." In 1950, Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra recorded and released their version of the song. Patti Page created her own version several years later to very little attention, but the "B" side of the single, "Tennessee Waltz" became a smash hit. In 2002, the Brian Seltzer Orchestra recorded a rockabilly version for his album, "Boogie Woogie Christmas."

Track 14
Holiday Greetings from the Cast of Mama's Family (1986)

The Cast of Mama's Family Celebrate the Holidays 

This isn't so much a track as a little snippet of what passed as dialogue on the popular syndicated comedy "Mama's Family." The show started as a regular sketch on the wonderful Carol Burnett Show, and it featured Vicki Lawrence as the demanding and outspoken Thelma Harper, a/k/a Mama. NBC picked up the show as a January replacement series in 1983, but the network never found the right slot for the program, and it was canceled half-way through its second year of production. The network continued to air reruns during the summer of 1984, however, and it attracted enough viewers to continue in syndication for several years, where it did reasonably well.


Track 13
Kissin' by the Mistletoe, by Dora Hall (1964)

Solo Cozy Cups

I don't imagine many of you remember much about entertainer Dora Hall, am I right? In fact, I'll go a step further and guess that you've probably never heard of her at all. But her story is a uniquely American tale that has always fascinated me, for thanks to her husband's position as president of the Solo Cup Company, this sweet little grandmother hustled and clawed her way through that acid-tinged psychedelic haze of 1970s Hollywood to become the genuine Queen of the vanity recording industry.

Ms. Hall first started, er, ah . . . um "entertaining" people in the 1920s and '30s as a fledgling singer and/or dancer, but she was a woman of modest talents and she enjoyed little success. By the late 1930s, she'd been pretty much filed and forgotten, so that, it seemed was that. Shortly afterward, she met Leo J. Hulseman, the founder and president of the Solo Cup Company. The two fell in love, married and raised a family, and Mr. Husleman managed to build the Solo Cup Company into an economic powerhouse. Well, that may be a bit of an overstatement, but he sure did well for himself, and so, eventually, did his lovely bride. Once their children had left the nest, Mrs. Leo J. Husleman, who adopted the stage name Dora Hall, decided the time was right to make it big on the stage, screen and airwaves with the help of her husband's wealth and prominent business position.

The first step involved Dora's musical talent. She recorded a series of musical numbers that Solo began to give away with every purchase of Solo Cups. I remember my aunt used to buy Solo Cozy Cups when our families made our annual summer vacation trip to Casco Bay, Maine. Somewhere I still have the back of a package of cups on which Dora's rise to stardom was dutifully described. By the 1970s, the Huslemans had branched out into TV. The couple put together several TV specials featuring Dora and a series of second-rate entertainers such as impressionist Rich Little, singers Donovan and Frank Sinatra, Jr., and alleged comedian Phil Harris.

"Kissin' by the Mistletoe" is one of several Dora Hall holiday records. Several of her other contributions to our cultural history appear below. Amazing, right? And uniquely American, to be sure.












Check Out Some of Dora's Children's Records

Hear Dora's Version of "These Boots Are Made for Walking"


That's it for now. But I'll be back soon with still more nonsense. Christmas is a mere 16 days away, and we still have 24 songs to consider!

Our First Family Sends Out Their Final White House Christmas Card

As a history buff and avid reader about all things presidential, I'm always interested in seeing the White House Christmas card each year. Well, President Obama and his family released their 2016 holiday card last week, and naturally it's become the subject of a lot of discussion. Why? Because it features a family picture rather than a more general depiction of the White House in winter.

It is believed that President Calvin Coolidge was the first president to commission a holiday card back in 1927. Since then, there's been an official White House card every year. The styles vary widely, of course depending on a host of factors. Interestingly enough, the Obamas are on the third presidential family to feature a picture of themselves on the card. President and Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt featured family pictures at least half a dozen times. Oddly enough, while the Roosevelts typically signed their cards as "The President and Mrs. Roosevelt," there were two years (1936 and 1941) in which the White House card came from "Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt," with no mention of the President at all.

The only other White House card to feature a picture of the current occupants was the first card sent by President and Mrs. Hillary Clinton in 1993. Truth be told, it wasn't a particularly good picture of the Clintons, although it certainly looked better than any of the grim portraits of the Roosevelts. But it can't hold a candle to the photograph on this year's card, which captures the class, grace and poise the current First Family brought to the White House.

This year's card includes the following message:

"As our family reflects on our many happy years spent in the White House, we are grateful for the friends we've made, the joy we've shared, and the gifts of kindness we've received.

"We wish you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season and a wonderful new year."

I've got a feeling that the new year's going to become mighty horrifying real quick beginning on Inauguration Day.

See the Official White House Christmas Cards of the 15 Most Recent Presidents

Let It Snow!, Part 4

I'm in Bartow, Florida this evening, where the air is moist and warm and the ubiquitous Christmas lights serve as a reminder that the holiday is only a little more than two weeks away. I, of course, have fallen behind in nearly everything. Notably, I have yet to produce a single hard copy of my latest holiday CD, and that's a problem. For the past dozen years, my annual CD has served as my holiday card, and I don't want friends and family to think I've forgotten about them. I'm thinking of saving a copy of this year's mix to "the Cloud" and providing friends and family with streaming and downloading instructions by email or card. That would preserve valuable resources, eliminate needless trash, and save me several days' worth of hard work. Besides, CDs are so 1990s. A number of people I know and respect don't even have CD players anymore.

Here are some thoughts on several additional tracks from this year's mix:

Track 12

Funky, Funky Christmas, by Electric Jungle (1972)

Several weeks ago, someone at work asked me what type of music I was into. I'm never sure how to answer that question, for as crazy as I am about music, my tastes are very eclectic, and there are so many styles and artists I know nothing about. Moreover, I find it challenging to talk intelligently about some of the stuff I really like. Take funk, for example. I've got a pretty good idea what it is when I hear it, and I can rattle off a bunch of funk classics that I truly love. But I couldn't really define funk with any sort of specificity, nor could I name a single funk song, album or artist after the late 1970s. I'm pretty damn sure "Funky, Funky Christmas" by Electric Jungle qualifies as the genuine article, however, and while Electric Jungle doesn't seem to have released anything beyond this single 45 R.P.M., I'm willing to bet that had they done so, it would have been very funky, too.

I first heard this one several years ago on a spirited album I bought online from Strut Records called In the Christmas Groove, This is the second track I've used off the album. In 2012 I used a track called "Black Christmas," by the Harlem Children's Chorus on my CD "Here Comes Santa Claus." It's a moving and beautiful song in so many different ways, and I still can't listen to it without getting a little choked up.

Now, please don't confuse this track with a monstrosity of the same name by New Kids on the Block. If you want to hear that one, you're going to have to look it up on your own.

Track 11

Big Bulbs, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings (2014)

I've posted quite a few times about Sharon Jones in recent years, and her death last month came as quite a shock. She came to musical prominence relatively late in life, but Jones' career really started taking off over the past couple of years. She was an amazingly talented performer, and she will long be remembered for her contributions to the holiday music scene. "Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects" is among the very best new holiday tunes of the past ten years, and their 2014 CD "It's a Holiday Soul Party" manages to capture some of the energy and daring that was such an integral part of Jones' live performances. "Big Bulbs" is from that wonderful album, and you owe it to yourself to check out the complete package.

Track 10

Christmas Party, Teddy and the Tall Tops (1983)

Let's take a trip back in time . . . not so far back as the 1950s, although at first blush this tune sounds like it may have been recorded then, in Memphis or thereabouts. Sounds just like Elvis, don't it? — the young Elvis, before Vegas and the extra weight and all. No, the trip I have in mind involves heading back to someplace in Texas in the early to mid-1980s. Times were good in Texas back then. The local oil business was running full tilt, jobs were plentiful, and in cities like Austin and San Antonio there was a whole lot of new music being made. Sure, country music was still real big with most folks in the Lone Star State, but there were plenty of other styles that were taking off there, too — particularly in college communities like Austin. One of the most successful local Austin bands at the time was Teddy and the Tall Tops. I'm not sure I'd call them a country band, although they were recognized as one of the area's best Country acts for several years at the Austin Music Awards. I think the better term is Rockabilly, or maybe Roots Rock — and, come to think of it, they did pretty well in that latter category at the "Austies" as well. Founded in the early 1980s Teddy and the Tall Tops was co-founded by Ted Roddy and blues guitarist Mark Pollock and included bass player Donny Ray Ford with Russell Flemming on drums. They appear to have recorded a couple of different albums back in the late 1980s and the band remained active on the club circuit (with various adjustments to their original line-up) well into the '90s. Word is that they started playing live gigs again a couple of years ago, although, sadly, without Mark Pollock, who died last year after an extended battle with cancer. The updated version of the band has been spotted a few times in Austin recently, at Ginny's Little Longhorn, and, just a couple of weeks ago, at the one-of-a-kind Lone Star Court. 

"Christmas Party" was released in 1983 as the "B" side to the single "Christmas in the Congo." Both tunes are exceedingly hard to find these days. I've been searching for the "A" side for several years without any luck, although at least one site reports that it's an original song written by Ted Roddy. That sort of surprised me, as another song by that same name was recorded way back in 1959 by a group called The Marquees. What are the odds?

Let It Snow!, Part 3

Don't stop me, I'm on a roll! Here are some quick thoughts about the next three tracks from my annual holiday mix for 2016:

Track 9
Holiday Greetings from David Bowie (as Elvis Presley) (2013)

From all outward appearances, it seems as though David Bowie lived a wonderfully rich and happy life. Such statements are often intended as consolation following a premature departure. To me, particularly in the case of David Bowie, this richness of his life only serves to make his passing that much sadder. 

Bowie was an artist, a writer, an actor, a songwriter, and a performance artist, but he will probably be best remembered as a tremendously bold and innovative musician and recording artist. I was a huge fan from as far back as I can remember. In fact, a brief glance at a list of his best-known songs conjures up a series of remarkably specific memories of where I was and what I was doing when each track first registered for me:  Changes, Space Oddity, Young Americans, Ashes to Ashes, Cat People (Putting Out Fires), DJ, Fashion, Let's Dance, Modern Love, Absolute Beginners, This Is Not America — the list goes on.

The track I selected for this year's mix is a short little holiday greeting Bowie recorded in 2013 for the BBC6 program "This Is Radio Clash." Speaking in the unmistakable voice of the late Elvis Presley, Bowie says:

“Hello everybody, this is David Bowie making a telephone call from the US of A. At this time of the year I can’t help but remember my British-ness and all the jolly British folk, so here’s to you and have yourselves a Merry little Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you very much.”

Interestingly enough, Bowie tied one of Elvis's record-breaking statistics shortly after his death this past January when 12 of his albums simultaneously scored spots in Billboard's Top 40 weekly album listings. 

Of course, one of the most beloved David Bowie holiday tracks is a song he recorded with Bing Crosby in 1977 for the holiday television show "Bing Crosby's Olde Fashioned Holiday Special." Unfortunately, Crosby died before the program first aired, but this wonderful recording preserves the memory:

David Bowie was an absolute original, and he died far too soon.

Watch the animated film "The Snowman" with an introduction by David Bowie

Track 8
A Message from the King, by Bob Rivers

I posted about comedian/radio DJ Bob Rivers last year when I included his holiday-themed rendition of the Led Zeppelin classic D'yer Mak'er on last year's mix. This year I included a track brings Elvis Presley back to life and sits him (where else?) at the holiday dinner table:

Track 7

The Season's Upon Us, by The Dropkick Murphys

I like many different styles of music, but what I listen to and probably love most is straight-up rock and roll. Without meaning to do this intentionally, I noticed several days ago that many of my recent holiday CDs feature at least one rock track that serves a personal stand-out cut from the mix. Last year it was "O Christmas Tree," by The Orphan, The Poet. This year, it's the seventh track of the mix, "The Season's Upon Us," by the amazing Boston-based band known as the  Dropkick Murphys.

I was born in Boston myself, and for 17 wonderful years I lived in that city's diverse South End neighborhood. I worked for the City for several years under Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, and I spent a couple of years in the aggregate working on a number of local political campaigns. Boston's political scene is rich and exciting, as demonstrated by the number of Massachusetts natives who have gone on to national office, or at least played in the genuine major leagues.

Boston's also known as a breeding ground for up-and-coming musicians, largely because of the many colleges and universities in the area. I spent a year studying urban government at Boston University in the early 1980s, and there was never a night when some hot new band wasn't playing somewhere.

The Dropkick Murphys started taking off right around the time I was relocating to California, so I don't have any particular history as an early fan of the band, but I love their stuff and really enjoy this holiday track. The band took its name, by the way, from an old-time professional wrestler who competed (performed?) in the area during the 1940s. By the time I hit down, Dropkick was better known for his post-wrestling career as the manager of a well-known sanitarium for hardcore alcoholics. More than a few wonderful people became sober at Dropkick Murphy's, and there's a special place in heaven for him for the good work he did.

Let It Snow!, Part 2

Here's some background on the next three tracks from my latest holiday mix:

Track 6
You're a Mean One, Mr. Trump, College Humor Website (2015)

What can I say about this one? It was a whole lot funnier when it first came out, because, well, nobody thought he had a ghost of a chance to be elected President then, right?



Want More Like This? Watch "How the Trump Stole Christmas"

Track 5
Holiday Greetings from Ricardo Montalbán (1971)

Montalbán (R) with his Fantasy 

Island costar Hervé Villechaize

Ricardo Montalbán (1920-2009) was a Mexican-born actor who enjoyed considerable success in the movies and on television beginning in the early 1940s and continuing until shortly before his death. One of the few Mexican-American actors to work pretty much continuously through the 1940s and '50s, Montalbán is perhaps best known for his starring role as Mr. Roarke in the ABC television series Fantasy Island. I like these short holiday messages from various celebrities as they usually make for successful segues from one song to another and break things up pretty well. I especially like the greetings from the one-hit wonder sorts of public figures, mostly for the irony. Unfortunately, my supply is dwindling down to a precious few.

I like this clip because Montalbán goes out of the way emphasize his Mexican heritage and ends his holiday message by asking us all to "get well soon." While Montalbán has been dead for seven years and couldn't have imagined the results of this year's election, I'd like to think he's hoping our country recovers quickly and completely from our recent episode of collective mental illness.




Track 4
'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Art Carney (1954)

This is a track I've meant to include on one of my holiday mixes for several of the past dozen years or so and yet never quite did. I'm not sure why I haven't found a spot for it before now, because it's a great version of a beloved classic by an actor I've long enjoyed — Art Carney. This song was actually released as the "B" side of a holiday 45 RPM single titled "Santa and the Doodle-Li-Boop," which was released on the Columbia label in 1954. I've always thought of Carney as an actor, based on his work in The Honeymooners, his Academy Award-winning performance in Harry and Tonto (1974), and his many other roles on television and in the movies. But he also enjoyed considerable success as a recording artist, particularly during the 1950s, when released many albums and singles geared toward younger listeners.

This particular song, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," is based on the classic poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," which was first published anonymously in 1823 and later attributed to Clement C. Moore. It's not only a holiday classic, but it's largely responsible for the general acceptance of Santa Claus as one of the key characters in the holiday pantheon. The poem has been recorded by hundreds of different artists over the years in a variety of styles, but Carney's version is particularly memorable. A number of critics have lately described it as the "first rap" record, as it was delivered in syncopation and accompanied by only a single jazz drummer. 

Carney was previously featured in this blog for his role as the department store Santa in "Night of the Meek," a classic holiday episode from the original "Twilight Zone" television series that first aired in 1960. 

Listen to John Cleese's Version of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Hear Michelle Obama read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Hear President and Mrs. George W. Bush Read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"

Watch Art Carney in the Honeymooners episode "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"


Introduction to Track 4
'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Tammy Grimes (1985)

For the past five years, I've included a number of tracks at the end of each new holiday mix in honor of certain talented entertainers who died during the preceding 12 months. We seem to have lost too many great entertainers this year, including several I was unable to honor for want of a suitable audio clip to include.

One change I have made this year is to place the various memorial clips throughout the mix rather than bunching them together at the end.

Actress Tammy Grimes died on October 30 at the age of 82. She was well-known in our household as she attended the girls' summer camp my godmother and grandmother ran in New Hampshire when she was a teenager. I knew her best for her role as the successor host to E.G. Marshall on the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, which I listened to as a child and have enjoyed ever since. Grimes enjoyed great success on the stage and in the movies, and I wanted to at least note her passing here.

Listen to Tammy Grimes' reading of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas"