THE CHRISTMAS SYMPHONY

PERRY COMO

SONGWRITERS: Phil Perry; Joe Candullo & Charles Faso

COUNTRY: ITALYXU. S. A.

ALBUM: A PERRY COMO CHRISTMAS

LABEL: RCA RECORDS

GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG

YEAR: 2001

 

                Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (/ˈkoʊmoʊ/; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing with the label in 1943.

         He recorded primarily vocal pop and was renowned for recordings in the intimate, easy-listening genre pioneered by multi-media star Bing Crosby.

             "Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show. His weekly television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world. In the official RCA Records Billboard magazine memorial, his life was summed up in these few words: "50 years of music and a life well lived. An example to all."

              Como received five Emmys from 1955 to 1959, a Christopher Award (1956) and shared a Peabody Award with good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1990 and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1987. Posthumously, Como received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, and music.

           The Perry Como Christmas Album is Perry Como's 15^th RCA Victor 12" long-play album.

               Como is accompanied on the album by the Ray Charles Singers and an orchestra arranged and conducted by Nick Perito. On two songs, "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", boy choristers from the Little Church Around the Corner and from Saint Thomas Church (Manhattan) also participated.

( Oooo, Oooo! )

 

The candle glow, the mistletoe, and the falling snow

Bring to me, the Christmas symphony!

 

The balsam tree, the gifts I see, and the silent night

Bring to me, the Christmas symphony!

 

The voices of Mother speaking, to little girls and boys

"Dear, if you're not sleeping, Santa can't bring you any toys!"

 

The Christmas prayer that fills the air, here and everywhere

Brings to me, the Christmas symphony!

 

Voices of Mother speaking…

To little girls and boys

"Dear, if you're not sleeping…

Santa can't bring you any toys!"

 

The Christmas prayer that fills the air, here and everywhere

Brings to me, the Christmas symphony!

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS

ELVIS PRESLEY

SONGWRITERS: GENE AUTRY & OAKLEY HALDEMAN

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: BLUE CHRISTMAS

LABEL: TSK MUSIC

GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG

YEAR: 1992

 

             Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known simply as Elvis, was an American singer, musician and actor. He is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century and is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King". His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to great success—and initial controversy.

          Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on rhythm acoustic guitar, and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage him for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll.

          (…) With his rise from poverty to significant fame, Presley's success seemed to epitomize the American Dream. He is the best-selling solo music artist of all time, and was commercially successful in many genres.(…)

          "Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)" is a Christmas song originally written and performed by Gene Autry, with music composed by Oakley Haldeman. Autry's original recording (in which he pronounces Santa Claus as "Santy Claus") was a top-10 hit on the pop and country charts; the song would go on to be covered many times in the subsequent decades.

             Autry got the idea for the song after riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade (now the Hollywood Christmas Parade) in Los Angeles, during which crowds of spectators chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus". This inspired him to write a song that Haldeman set to music. Autry's lyrics combined two veins of the Christmas tradition, the mythology of Santa Claus and the Christian origin of the holiday (most explicitly in its mention of the nativity promise of "peace on Earth" to those who "follow the light"). A demo recording was made by singer/guitarist Johnny Bond, whose recording made use of ice cubes to mimic the sound of the jingling sleigh-bells. This inspired the use of real sleigh-bells in Autry's own recording of the song.

            Autry first recorded the song in 1947; released as a single by Columbia Records, it became a Nº. 5 country and Nº. 9 pop hit. Autry performed the song in his 1949 movie The Cowboy and the Indians. He re-recorded it again for Columbia in 1953 and, once more, for his own Challenge Records label in 1957, which released it on more than one album that year.

             Other artists to record the song include Doris Day (1949), Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (recorded May 10, 1949), Elvis Presley (1957), the Ray Conniff Singers (1959), Keely Smith (1960), Alvin and the Chipmunks (1961), Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans (1963), Hank Thompson (1964), in excerpt by The Beach Boys as part of their song "Child of Winter" (1974), Willie Nelson (1979), Glen Campbell, RuPaul, The Wiggles (1997), Billy Idol (2006), Bob Dylan (2009), Mariah Carey (2010), Chicago (2011), the Glee cast (2013), Anna Kendrick (2015), and Pentatonix (2018). In 1988, "Here Comes Santa Claus" was featured in Very Merry Christmas Songs which is part of the Disney Sing Along Songs collection. The song was also featured prominently in the popular Christmas movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation during the climax towards the end of the film. The version of the song used was Autry's 1957 Challenge Records recording. 

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,

Right down Santa Claus Lane.

 

Vixen, Blitzen, all his reindeer

Pulling on the reins.

Bells are ringing, children singing,

All is merry and bright.

Hang your stockings and say a prayer,

'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.

 

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,

Riding down Santa Claus Lane.

 

He's got a bag that's filled with toys

For boys and girls again.

Hear those sleigh bells jingle jangle,

What a beautiful sight.

Jump in bed and cover up your head,

Because Santa Claus comes tonight.

 

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,

Riding down Santa Claus Lane.

 

He doesn't care if you're a rich or poor boy,

He loves you just the same.

Santa knows that we're God's children,

That makes everything right.

Fill your hears with Christmas cheer,

'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.

 

Well, here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,

Riding down Santa Claus Lane.

 

He'll come around when the chimes ring out

It's Christmas morn again.

Peace on Earth will come to all

If we just follow the light

Let's give thanks to the Lord above,

'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.

'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.

THE FIRST NÖEL

FRANK SINATRA

SONGWRITER: WILLIAM SANDYS

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: A JOLLY CHRISTMAS FROM FRANK SINATRA

LABEL: CAPITOL RECORDS

GENRE: CRHISTMAS SONG

YEAR: 1957

 

                 Francis Albert Sinatra (/sɪˈnɑːtrə/; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer, actor and producer who was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide.

                 Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra was greatly influenced by the intimate easy listening vocal style of Bing Crosby and began his musical career in the swing era with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. Sinatra found success as a solo artist after he signed with Columbia Records in 1943, becoming the idol of the "bobby soxers". He released his debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, in 1946. But by the early 1950s his professional career had stalled and he turned to Las Vegas, where he became one of its best known residency performers as part of the Rat Pack. His career was reborn in 1953 with the success of From Here to Eternity, with his performance subsequently winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sinatra released several critically lauded albums, including In the Wee Small Hours (1955), Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956), Come Fly with Me (1958), Only the Lonely (1958) and Nice 'n' Easy (1960).

                   Sinatra left Capitol in 1960 to start his own record label, Reprise Records, and released a string of successful albums. In 1965, he recorded the retrospective album, September of My Years and starred in the Emmy-winning television special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music. After releasing Sinatra at the Sands, recorded at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Vegas with frequent collaborator Count Basie in early 1966, the following year he recorded one of his most famous collaborations with Tom Jobim, the album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. It was followed by 1968's Francis A. & Edward K. with Duke Ellington. Sinatra retired for the first time in 1971, but came out of retirement two years later. He recorded several albums and resumed performing at Caesars Palace, and released "New York, New York" in 1980. Using his Las Vegas shows as a home base, he toured both within the United States and internationally until shortly before his death in 1998.

                 Sinatra forged a highly successful career as a film actor. After winning an Academy Award for From Here to Eternity, he starred in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and received critical acclaim for his performance in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). He appeared in various musicals such as On the Town (1949), Guys and Dolls (1955), High Society (1956), and Pal Joey (1957), winning another Golden Globe for the latter. Toward the end of his career, he frequently played detectives, including the title character in Tony Rome (1967). Sinatra would later receive the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1971. On television, The Frank Sinatra Show began on ABC in 1950, and he continued to make appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Sinatra was also heavily involved with politics from the mid-1940s, and actively campaigned for presidents such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Sinatra was investigated by the FBI for his alleged relationship with the Mafia.

             While Sinatra never learned how to read music, he worked very hard from a young age to improve his abilities in all aspects of music. A perfectionist, renowned for his dress sense and performing presence, he always insisted on recording live with his band. His bright blue eyes earned him the popular nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes". Sinatra led a colorful personal life, and was often involved in turbulent affairs with women, such as with his second wife Ava Gardner. He later married Mia Farrow in 1966 and Barbara Marx in 1976. Sinatra had several violent confrontations, usually with journalists he felt had crossed him, or work bosses with whom he had disagreements. He was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1985, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997. Sinatra was also the recipient of eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was collectively included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people. After Sinatra's death, American music critic Robert Christgau called him "the greatest singer of the 20th century", and he continues to be seen as an iconic figure.

                A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra is a Christmas album by American singer Frank Sinatra, originally released by Capitol Records in 1957.

          Capitol reissued the album in 1965 with different cover art and a new title, The Sinatra Christmas Album, both of which also featured on the album's initial 1987 compact disc pressing. The original title and cover were eventually restored for subsequent CD pressings in 1990 and 1999. In 2001, the album art was altered from its 1957 version. The CD bonus tracks were originally issued on a 1954 Capitol 45 rpm single, arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle.

              In 2007 the album was reissued yet again, with a "50th Anniversary" banner placed atop the 2001 cover art and an additional bonus track (a vintage radio PSA that Sinatra did for the American Lung Association's "Christmas Seals" campaign) added.

              In 2010, the album was reissued on vinyl for the first time since the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissue, #1-135, c. 1986 (separate from the 1983 16-LP box), exclusively to independent record stores.

The first Noel the angels did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep

On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

 

cho: Noel, Noel

Noel,Noel

Born is the King of Israel.

 

They looked up and saw a star

Shining in the East, beyond them far,

And to the earth it gave great light,

And so it continued, both day and night.

 

And by the light of that same star

Three wise men came from country far,

To seek for a King was their intent,

And to follow the star whereever it went.

 

This star drew nigh to the northwest;

O'er Bethlehem it took its rest.

And there it did both stop and stay,

Right over the place whcre Jesus lay.

 

Then they did know assuredly

Within that house, the King did lie

One entered in then for to see

And found the babe in poverty.

 

Then entered in those wise men three,

Full reverently, upon bended knee,

And offered there, in His presence,

Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.

 

If we in our time do well

We shall be free from death and hell

For God hath prepared for us all

A resting place in general.

MARY’S BOY CHILD

HARRY BELAFONTE

SONGWRITER: JESTER HAIRSTON

COUNTRY: JAMAICAXU. S. A.

ALBUM: AN EVENING WITH BELAFONTE

LABEL: RCA VICTOR

GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG

YEAR: 1957

 

       Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is a Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, activist, and actor. One of the most successful Jamaican-American pop stars in history, he was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Trinidadian Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s. His breakthrough álbum Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist. Belafonte is known for his recording of "The Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". He has recorded and performed in many genres, including blues, folk, gospel, show tunes, and American standards. He has also starred in several films, including Otto Preminger's hit musical Carmen Jones (1954), Island in the Sun (1957), and Robert Wise's Odds Against Tomorrow (1959).

               Belafonte was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s and was a confidant of Martin Luther King Jr.. Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for political and humanitarian causes, such as the Anti-Apartheid Movement and USA for Africa. Since 1987, he has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He was a vocal critic of the policies of the George W. Bush presidential administrations. Belafonte acts as the American Civil Liberties Union celebrity ambassador for juvenile justice issues.

         Belafonte has won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards.

                 An Evening with Belafonte is a studio album by Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor in 1957.

"Mary's Boy Child" is a 1956 Christmas song, written by Jester Hairston. It is widely performed as a Christmas carol.

              The song had its genesis when Hairston was sharing a room with a friend. The friend asked him to write a song for a birthday party. Hairston wrote the song with a calypso rhythm because the people at the party would be mainly West Indians. The song's original title was "He Pone and Chocolate Tea", pone being a type of corn bread. It was never recorded in this form.

                 Some time later Walter Schumann, at the time conducting Schumann's Hollywood Choir, asked Hairston to write a new Christmas song for his choir. Hairston remembered the calypso rhythm from his old song and wrote new lyrics for it.

          Harry Belafonte heard the song being performed by the choir and sought permission to record it. It was recorded in 1956 and released as a single that year. Belafonte released it again the following year in 1957 on his album An Evening with Belafonte, using a different, longer take. This longer version was also released in the UK as a single (with a B-side of Eden Was Just Like This), where it became the first UK number one to have a playing time of over four minutes. It reached Nº. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1957, and has since sold over 1.19 million copies there.

              In 1962, the full-length version was also added to a re-issue of Belafonte's previously released álbum To Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Long time ago in Bethlehem

So the Holy Bible say

Mary's boy child, Jesus Christ

Was born on Christmas day.

 

Hark, now hear the angels sing

A new King born today

And man will live forever more

Because of Christmas day.

 

While shepherds watched their flock by night

And see a bright new shining star

And hear a choir sing

The music seems to come from afar.

 

Now Joseph and his wife Mary

Come to Bethlehem that night

And find no place to borne she child

Not a single room was in sight.

 

Hark, now hear the angels sing

A new King born today

And man will live forever more

Because of Christmas day.

 

By and by they find a little nook

In a stable all forlorn

And in a manger cold and dark

Mary's little boy was born.

 

Hark, now hear the angels sing

A new King born today

And man will live forever more

Because of Christmas day.