This was found at a local garage sale several years ago and the cover totally hooked me. It looked promising (lots of titles listed - in hi-fi!) and I gladly paid my 50 cents. Then I dropped the needle... A pretty standard Christmas organ album.
There was a serious glut of Christmas organ albums between then and now along the sharity network and I couldn't bring myself to share this one out. One track was shared last year as a part of the 2007 Yuleblog Sampler and I decided to share the rest this year.
I wish I had more on Patricia Wilde (Google turned up nothing) but it did yield some info on Acorn Records thanks to the folks at Both Sides Now. It seems Acorn Records had problems with its grammar and spelling - I urge you to check out the Acorn link; it's a hoot!
William Ballard Doggett was born February 16, 1916 in Philadelphia. At age nine, Doggett wanted to play the trumpet but since his family could not afford one, his mother introduced him to the organ. Four years later, Bill was being hailed as a child prodigy.
When he was fifteen, Bill formed his first combo called "The Five Majors". While attending high school, he found work playing in the pit orchestra at the Nixon Grand theater with the Jimmy Gorman Band. He eventually inherited Gorman's fifteen-piece orchestra at the height of the Big Band Era
After he sold the band to Lucky Millender, he stayed in contact with Millender - writing arrangements and playing piano. Then in late 1942, Doggett joined the Ink Spots and became the group's arranger and pianist. He recorded five singles with them during a two year period before heading out on his own again.
Bill toured and recorded with several of the nation's top singer and bands. Among these were Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, and Louis Jordan, who became a mentor to Doggett.
In 1949, Bill was a featured performer on piano and many of Jordan's classic Decca recordings including "Saturday Night Fish Fry" and "Blue Light Boogie." Doggett credited his time with Jordan for educating him to the finer points of pleasing an audience.
When Doggett decided to form another combo on his own, he made the most crucial decision of his life. Most musicians of the time felt that the sound of the organ was sacred and should be reserved for a church setting. Bill decided that he needed a fresh sound to set him apart from other piano combos.
This decision led to a recording contract with Cincinnati's King Records. During his first years at King, he released over a dozen singles - most moderate successes not only on the R&B charts but the jazz charts as well.
In 1955, he decided to record a 10" Christmas album called "All-Time Christmas Favorites" (King 295-89). Many people consider this to be the very first R&B Christmas album (anyone got a copy?). Three years later, King expanded to 12" albums and its very first release was a repackage of Doggett's 10" Christmas album - the very album you're looking at.
There are some of the best Christmas tracks anywhere on this album. Doggett alternates between instrumentals and even sings on a few of the songs, adding to its charm.
Doggett remained with King Records until 1960, scoring HUGE hits with "Honky Tonk Pt. 1 & 2" and "Ram-Bunk-Shush" in 1956 and 1957 respectively. He later recorded for Warner Brothers, Columbia, ABC-Paramount and Sue Records throughout the 1960s and 1970s on sporadic singles and albums.
Bill settled into retirement on Long Island, New York in the 1980s and died of a heart attack in 1996.
Back in 2006, this was one of the first albums I ever shared out - posted this over at FaLaLaLaLa.com. Then last year, I posted it here at the yuleblog.
I ended each post with the same comment: "This is the MONO copy... I'd love to find this in STEREO". As you can tell by the picture above, I indeed found the STEREO copy I'd been searching for.
Read more about Bob Ralston and find both copies for your listening pleasure...
At first glance, this may seem to be "just another Christmas organ LP". However, if you know your Christmas organ music like our friend Ernie (not Bert), then you know how totally wrong that statement is.
First, let us travel back to an earlier time - December 9, 2005 to be precise. It was on this date that Ernie posted his first Dick Liebert Christmas LP - a great album entitled "The Happy Hits Of Christmas" showcasing Liebert's virtuoso on the organ he called home for many years at the Radio City Music Hall in NYC.
If Ernie never posted another Liebert album ever again, this would have been more than sufficient. But come onnnn... this is Ernie we're talking about! Back on December 3, 2006 (scroll down to the very bottom and work your way up), Ernie had himself a field day with Dick Liebert.
I probably lost about 50% of my readers who are clicking on all those links. Which is why I'm hesitant to post this next link. However, it's for the album I'm reviewing at this very moment so I'm forced to post the link (and watch more readers head for Ernie).
Want further proof that all roads lead to Ernie? Try a Google search on Dick Liebert and look at the second link provided.
There's not much out there on Dick Liebert which is a pity. This is a man who was hired by Radio City Music Hall to be one of its main organists shortly after they installed the famous WurliTzer organ - a job he held from the 1930s well into the 1960s.
What's left are these amazing albums - including the Westminster LP pictured above. What's different about this album from all the rest is Liebert wasn't playing with a home field advantage. This album was recorded behind the Mighty WurliTzer at the Byrd Theater in Richmond, VA.
Is everyone back from clicking all those links? Does everyone have this downloaded? Good...
TRACK REVIEWS:
1.) Sleigh Ride If there was ever a song made for the Mighty WurliTzer, it's this one... amazing sound!
2.) White Christmas Liebert plays this rather solemnly but the genius of Irving Berlin shines through.
3.) Winter Wonderland If you don't pick up on the theme from the get go, this one's a little rushed and muddled.
4.) Jingle Bells Liebert starts this one on a trot, slows down the tempo at the 1/2 mile marker, then finishes fast and strong to the wire.
5.) I'll Be Home for Christmas I swear I heard a theremin in here - ghostly version that grows on me with repeated listenings!
6.) Parade of the Wooden Soldiers Whenever I hear orchestral versions of this song, I'm immediately turned off by it. Whenever I hear this song on the organ (especially the WurliTzer), it takes on a whole different quality I tune into. Wonderful stuff.
7.) The Skater's Waltz Images of roller rinks, ice ponds, Olympic figure skaters, several cartoons, and some bad TV variety magicians come to mind when I hear this song. I want this song played next as a "couples only" skate.
8.) Home for the Holidays Man, this one had me singing along... follow the bouncing ball, folks!
9.) Santa Claus is Coming to Town The song has all the feel of Santa's workshop as elves get ready for the big day.
10.) Christmas Fantasy - O Little Town of Bethlehem / Silent Night / Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Three standards linked together. The best part for me is the improvisation Liebert plays as he links "O Little Town" and "Silent Night" - virtuoso stuff!
This is a fine album by Liebert done very early on in his recording career. The Christmas albums he recorded for RCA Victor remain the absolute summit of his days with Nipper and the gang. I'm very partial to "The Happy Hits of Christmas" as Liebert's best work - although I haven't heard the album with all them Rockettes on it so I reserve judgement.
But you can't go wrong with this album. Lots of fresh sounds, wondrous arrangements, and with Liebert at the WurliTzer, you're in for one heck of a ride.
Thanks for keeping the memory of Dick Liebert alive Ernie!
Since the beginning of LPs at the end of the 1940s, there has probably been more Christmas organ albums released than any other single musical instrument.
From November 2005 to now, I've collected nearly 25 Christmas organ albums, easily making it the largest subgenre in my collection. So why am I adding this new organ CD to my collection? Brother, I wasn't about to miss this one from Rhoda Scott!
I first heard about Scott when I reviewed Ton Rückert's 2003 & 2004 Christmas Comps back in March, 2007. Ton had used the song "Winter Wonderland" in his 2004 Christmas comp. My comment at the time was:
GREAT JUMPIN' ICEBERGS! Rhoda Scott's 'Winter Wonderland' is a swirling, rousing trip on the Hammond B-3 organ! Adding her Christmas CD to my wish list for sure!"
Rhoda Scott was born outside of Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 3, 1938. The daughter of a minister, she learned to play organ in her father's church beginning at the age of seven. While learning the organ, Rhoda found it more comfortable to play the pedals barefoot - a tradition she continues to this day!
Scott was schooled in the "proper" way of playing to achieve a "full" organ sound using all its facility. To this day, Rhoda plays her bass line exclusively with the foot pedals; not relying on the left hand finger-bass and "popping" action of only a few pedals. This technique frees up her left hand to chord through the changes while her right hand plays melody and solos.
She later studied classical piano, but she concentrated on the organ, eventually earning a Masters' degree in music theory from the Manhattan School of Music. By this time she had been asked by a choir member to fill in with a small band as a jazz pianist.
Enjoying the music, she agreed to stay on with the band on condition that she be allowed to play organ instead of piano. Choosing as her instrument the Hammond Organ, she soon became a preeminent jazz musician and is considered by many to be the top female jazz organist.
Her recording career began in the early 1960s with a bevy of singles and albums on the Prestige jazz label. Going up against well established organ masters like Jimmy Smith, Bill Doggett, and others (see above), her records were looked over and didn't sell. By the mid-1960s, Rhoda was on the outside looking in.
So in 1967, Rhoda said goodbye to the United States and settled in France where her genius behind the organ was instantly recognized. Her records sold off the shelves and her live performances were experiences:
She toured throughout Europe and Asia, making more albums along the way, and earning nicknames such as "The Barefoot Lady" and "The Barefoot Contessa."
Rhoda recorded a Christmas album in France entitled "Noël De Rhoda" back in 1977 (GEMM has a copy available for $91! Musicstack doesn't have it yet - adding it to my searches!). It appears that all of the songs from that album ended up on this compilation along with two Christmas medleys recorded in 1993 to round it out.
In total, you get seventeen songs - all priceless gems with not one bad note in the bunch. I'm still wild about "Winter Wonderland" - that is a trip and a half!
This comp was released in France first in 1994. However, some bright lad at Universal Music France pestered the powers that be in America to release this for Christmas in 2003. The result?
With the same seventeen songs, the same title (just translated), and the amazing sounds from Scott, this is the version you'll probably find in the Christmas bins - provided some clever lad at Target, Best Buy, or even Wal-Mart would have the courage and vision to put it there to begin with.
Both the import version and the American version are both online at Amazon.com where I got my two copies. You can't go wrong with either version - masterful stuff.
Rhoda is very much alive, continuing to perform barefoot behind beloved B-3 organ by Hammond (see below). Check out her website and do a search on YouTube to listen to more mindblowing playing on the organ!
"While our game is being temporarily delayed, let us listen to our organist in the center field stands as he entertains you while diddling on his organ."
Back on November 26, 2006, our friend Ernie posted this one at his blog under the title "Better Layton Than Ever". After downloading this and having the album sit on my hard drive for nearly a year, I'm finally listening to it and writing about it!
And after doing some quick research on Eddie Layton, I'm ready to play ball!
Layton was born in Philadelphia in 1925, studied music as a child, and was studying meteorology in college when World War II broke out. Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, Eddie was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Lindhurst, New Jersey. A chance encounter with a Hammond organ would soon change his life forever.
After World War II, he fell in love with the Hammond organ and soon began studying under the tutelage of the one and only Jesse Crawford (he of the hundreds of budget Christmas albums that clutter vinyl bins everywhere).
Layton was so adapt at playing the Hammond organ that he was able to find effects and little known features on the instrument. This convinced the Hammond Organ Company to retain him as a demonstrator for its stores over the next 50 years!
In the late 1940s - early 1950s, Layton was playing all around New York City as an organist, played at Radio City Music Hall (where he rubbed elbows with George Wright and Dick Liebert),and found a home on the radio in various soap operas of the day on CBS Radio.
Around this time, he began recording for Mercury Records, quickly becoming their star organist. He released a number of albums between 1956 and 1963 covering a wide range of music. If you want to hear some of these tunes, WFMU's 365 Days Project just posted an entry all about Layton.
After leaving Mercury Records, he signed with Epic and chose as his first project this Christmas album you see here before you. Layton carefully chose both traditional and popular Christmas songs - sometimes weaving several into one.
Released for Christmas, 1964, it's a good Christmas organ album - a notch above many of the Christmas organ albums I've gotten in the last two years. Eddie does a masterful job keeping it light, fun, and above all, Christmas-ey.
His medley of "Rudolph / Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is the standout on the album. Having a mad xylophonist run up and down the scales is a nice touch inbetween some great swirls on the Hammond organ. Other tunes worth a listen include "Let It Snow", "Silver Bells", and his version of "O Holy Night" that's powerful and clocks in just under two minutes!
Layton released several other albums for Epic Records in the mid-1960s when fate knocked at the door. The New York Yankees were under the ownership of CBS and they remembered their house organist. They offered Eddie the prime gig of playing the house organ at Yankee Stadium during home games which he declined at first, having little knowledge of baseball game and driving a car.
The Yankees promised him limo rides to and from his house (for an organist!) and he agreed to a one game tryout in 1967. That one game gig stretched into a career spanning over 36 years, eventually winning him jobs playing for the Knicks and the Rangers. Layton played his last version of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" on September 28, 2003 with a capacity crowd cheering his name.
Better Layton than ever, indeed!
UP NEXT: What I downloaded on November 25, 2006 at 6:34 PM
This one almost had me in its tentacles. eBay had several copies tempting me to spend $20 or more to get my own LP. Thankfully, I checked out the cool wax.
Brainwerk runs the fun sharity blog entitled "Check The Cool Wax" whose great Christmas comp I reviewed here earlier this year. Last November, he posted this album and I was able to scratch this one off my list.
By the looks of the cover, it promises to be a fun, fun album. Fast Freddy Flintstone on the stalagmite organ, Snagglepuss pickin' the bass, Huckleberry Hounddog on the chimes, and don't forget Magilla Gorilla on the triangle!
But we're putting the cartoon horse before the cartoon cart. We have to go back to 1939 for the beginning of this story.
On the backlot of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer stood the animation studio where William Hanna and Joseph Barbera first met. They had an instant rapport and set to complete their first collaboration - a 1940 cartoon called "Puss Gets The Boot". This simple cartoon pitted a tom cat against a clever mouse. Hence, Tom and Jerry were born.
For the next seventeen years, Hanna & Barbera and Tom & Jerry created one minor masterpiece after the other. Shortly before MGM closed the animation studio in 1957, the duo had won eight Academy Awards and formed a successful animation company of their own (which did side work like the animated titles for "I Love Lucy").
Hanna & Barbera took aim at the growing number of kids thru television. By 1961, they had their first hits on the tube with "Huckleberry Hound" and "Quick Draw McGraw" and were planning their most ambitious gamble yet - a prime time animated television series for ABC that featured some caveman guy yelling a three word phrase...
"The Flintstones" was a phenomenon. It quickly spawned off merchandising, feature length movies, and even a commercial or two:
During the massive wave of Hanna-Barbera products, this album was recorded and released by Hanna-Barbera Records (go figure) for Christmas, 1965. Look at the cover closely again. Let your eye wander to the left where it says "Featuring The Hanna-Barbera Organ & Chimes".
Yep, this whole album is one guy playing the organ, another person on the chimes, and occasionally you'll hear the piano and sleigh bells. "Jingle Bells" is the only song on the album that has any life, the rest are dull with an occasional hint of cartoon color. I suppose if you close your eyes and concentrate hard enough, your mind will allow you to imagine the pantheon of Hanna-Barbera stars at Christmas time. The music alone will barely get it done.
Following the demise of the modern stone-age family in 1966, H & B continued to put out cartoons at an alarming rate. At one point, it was estimated that three out of four animated shows between 1961 and 1977 came from the Hanna-Barbera studios.
Favorite characters during this period included Snagglepuss, The Jetsons, Top Cat, Jonny Quest, Yogi Bear, Wally Gator, Atom Ant, Magilla Gorilla, Birdman & The Galaxy Trio (the inspiration for "Harvey Birdman, Atty At Law"), Scooby Doo, Josie & The Pussycats, Charlie Chan & The Chan Clan, The SuperFriends & Justice League, The Funky Phantom, SpeedBuggy, and Jabberjaw.
If I forgot one of your favorites, leave a comment below.
By the mid to late 1970s, Hanna-Barbera decade long domination of the airwaves was beginning to wane. The production was beginning to suffer as "talking heads" and action implied off screen became the norm.
We had seen every variation of "The Flintstones" and "Scooby-Doo" imaginable (including the much hated Scrappy Doo) and very little new original animated series. It got so bad that H &B began animating "Happy Days" and "Mork & Mindy" for Saturday morning fare in the early 1980s. At decade's end, the cash cow had died and Hanna-Barbera was strapped for cash.
Enter Ted Turner. In 1991, Turner bought out H & B and began the Cartoon Network. While many of the older shows took up space, a new generation of animators came to work for H & B and began to think outside the box. We were rewarded with shows like "Johnny Bravo", "Dexter's Laboratory", and "The Powerpuff Girls". Hanna & Barbera are constant inspirations on Adult Swim, "Robot Chicken", and "Robert Smigel's Funhouse" on SNL.
At their induction into the Television Hall Of Fame in 1994, Joseph Barbara (who died last December at the age of 95) turned to his lifelong partner William Hanna (who died in 2001 at the age of 90) and said "their hasn't been a week that went by that I didn't say to you three magical words. Yabba Dabba Doo". The gents shook hands and wandered off into rerun heaven.
UP NEXT: What I downloaded on November 21, 2006 at 12:43 PM.
Three years ago, The King of Jingaling at FaLaLaLaLa.com offered one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time. Two years ago, I downloaded not one but two fantastic albums from our friend Ernie (not Bert) (which were re-offered last year). These three albums were recorded by the late, great Eddie Dunstedter and I never reviewed these albums at the yuleblog.
I promised Ernie that these albums would be the first ones to get the yuleblog treatment after my return from acting. However... the almighty Google keeps referring to Ernie's posts when you enter the name of Eddie Dunstedter and there is surprisingly little about the man online for research.
The few online facts that I found? Dunstedter discovered the vocal group The Merry Macs back in 1926, was the musical director of several radio shows back in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and has one movie credit to his name - the music score for the 1953 schlock horror movie "Donovan's Brain" (with future First Lady Nancy Davis nee Reagan in the cast).
He had a very long recording career either as a featured organ player or with albums of his own (spanning from the 1930s to the 1960s). In the late 1950s, Dunstedter was signed by Capitol Records and recorded several pipe organ albums ("Pipes And Power", "Where Dreams Come True", "Pipe Organ Favorites").
Throughout the summer of 1959, Dunstedter was entrenched in the famous Capitol Studios building in Hollywood to record his first Christmas album - "The Bells Of Christmas".
(Click on image to enlarge)
We've had our fair share of Christmas organ and chime albums here at the yuleblog - some really great, some really awful. Most of the Christmas standards are covered on this album in a quiet, reverent way. At times Dunstedter's organ playing is so subtle, you hardly know it's there as the chimes take center stage.
Standout tracks include two medleys ("It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Away In A Manger" and "Deck The Halls - Joy To The World"), a stand alone version of "Greensleeves", and "The March Of The Three Kings" takes on such a magnificence when heard on the mighty cathedral organ.
Released in both mono and "Full Dimensional Stereo" at Christmas, 1959, Dunstedter could have been content knowing his first Christmas album was a success. After several years of other releases, Capitol and Dunstedter thought the time was right for yet another Christmas album.
Throughout the summer of 1963, Dunstedter was yet again at the famous Capitol Studios building in Hollywood, busy arranging and recording his second Christmas album "The Bells Of Christmas Chime Again"
(Click on image to enlarge)
For this album, Eddie chose several standards and a few contemporary songs and gave it the same subtle approach as in the first "Bells Of Christmas" album. At times, it sounds like Dunstedter is playing a synthesizer rather than a huge cathedral organ.
Tracks of note on this album include "Angels We Have Heard On High", "Winter Wonderland", "Ring Christmas Bells" aka "Carol Of The Bells", "The Christmas Song", and "Happy Holiday" - all of which sound amazing on the cathedral organ. However, the standout track on this album is "In The Clock Store", a fabulously fun trip complete with clock noises that conjures up images of Santa's workshop.
Dunstedter had outdone the first album - a rare feat, especially in music. Capitol thought so too and was all set to push the album at Christmas, 1963. A month earlier, in Dallas, Texas, three shots rang out. The country's mood was so somber over the loss of President Kennedy that Christmas music was looked on as trivial.
Capitol went ahead and released the album. It sat on shelves untouched. Two months later (February, 1964), four lads from Liverpool came to America and the whole music landscape changed again. Dunstedter wanted one more chance at a Christmas album and spent the summer of 1965 recording "Christmas Candy".
(Click on image to enlarge)
If you read the liners on "Christmas Candy", it tells you that Dunstedter wanted to record jolly fare with this album. From the first track to the last, he gives you a sumptuous bossa nova feast of sounds that are indeed light but plenty filling to the ears.
If you've heard the "Christmas Cocktails" albums at all, you'll have heard several of these tracks before ("I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jingle Bells Bossa Nova" and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer").
Seek out the non-cocktails tracks like "Silver Bells", the title track "Christmas Candy", "I'll Be Home For Christmas", and "Winter Wonderland" for some real good sound!
This album is a must in any Christmas music enthusiasts collection.
Some time after the release of this album at Christmas, 1965, Eddie Dunstedter said goodbye to Hollywood and took a teaching position at The MacPhail Center of Music in Minneapolis. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, he taught many a new organ player his special bag of tricks and sent them on their merry way before his death in 1974.
This yuleblog entry took some time because I wanted to hopefully do justice to Dunstedter's career. I tried to track down several books through my public library that had info on Eddie (which turned out to be very little) and even called the MacPhail Center of Music (it's called summer for a reason).
In any case, if anyone has additional info on the life and career of Dunstedter, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll be happy to post updates.
I wasn't going to share this album out because who needs another Christmas organ music LP?
This album and I have a long history. I found it earlier this year when I located just the record alone at a local Goodwill store. The album cover turned up much later.
The front cover was in great shape. The back was hideous. Watermarks, coffee mug rings, a small food stain... was it food? It took me forever to clean it up in Photoshop.
Why all this for a Christmas organ album? When you see the name "Sy Mann" on the back cover, you tend to overlook little details like coffee and food stains!
For those who don't know who Sy Mann is, let me quote from a review I did back in August of an album I got last Christmas from our friend Ernie at his incredible blog Ernie (not Bert) (which he just upgraded to STEREO! WOW!):
"But organ music in the hands of Sy Mann, then it becomes something that deserves special attention. If the name Sy Mann sounds familiar, that's because he was one of the main forces behind "Switched On Santa" - one of the top five Christmas albums of all time."
On this album, Mann gets plenty of solos at the Wurlitzer organ solo on tracks like "Deck The Halls", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "White Christmas" (whose lyrics were never printed on the back - guess that was extra $$$ when they licensed the song!).
The Malvin Carolers are also featured on the album, singing your favorite Christmas carols. They do a fine job on standards like "Joy To The World", "Silent Night" and "The First Noel" but listen for those Mann accents on the Wurlitzer!
"Let's All Sing Christmas Carols"... not a bad idea for this first of three posts on Christmas Eve:
This album (my last repost of the 2006 downloading season) was originally offered at FaLaLaLaLa.com last December. To quote from I wrote a year ago:
"Bob Ralston came from a show biz family: his mom was the 13th employee hired by Walt Disney – she was the voice of Minnie Mouse!
"After his formal music training ended, he played six nights at week with the Freddy Martin Orchestra from 1959-62 at the Coconut Grove in Hollywood.
"When that stint ended, he was approached by Lawrence Welk to be a pianist / organist / arranger for his Champagne Music Makers in 1963. It was a job he held until Welk and company went off the air in 1982 and continues to hold as arranger / organist for the occasional Welk reunion road show that tours the US.
"Today, Ralston presents five one-hour pops concerts each month in an intimate (40-seat) setting at his home in Granada Hills, CA. In addition to these regularly scheduled programs, he offers custom concerts to bus tours that visit weekly.
"I found this album at a thrift store and was immediately dazzled by two things: 1.) the near mint condition of the album (the original wrap was protecting the cover nicely) 2.) the jaw dropping number of songs listed on the cover! 30 SONGS!
"Ralston takes three songs, adds a simple chorus (nothing too heavy like Conniff or too contrived like Mitch Miller), blends in his great organ playing, and creates 10 medleys, each unique in its own way.
"If you like this album, Ralston released a Christmas CD in 1992 (74 Minutes of great theatre pipe organ music at Kansas City's Granada Theatre) that you can purchase at his website.
"This is the MONO copy... I'd love to find this in STEREO"
UPDATE: In May, 2008, I found a stereo copy at long last. You now have two album versions to choose from:
Well... how do I follow up from yesterday's longwinded but true story? How about a shortwinded true story about the album (or albums) in this yuleblog entry?
Around this time last December, I went on one of my first power Christmas album searches throughout the Fort Wayne area and found this copy (pictured above) by Earl Grant.
The album cover (in good shape) stated this was a re-release and the record was in excellent shape. I can't remember what I paid for it but I knew it was a steal.
With album in hand, I went to my local Kinko's to create color copies of the covers so I could transfer them over to my computer at home.
I arrived home with the copies but left the album at Kinko's! I immediately called the store and they couldn't find the album on the glass or around the workstation! I was depressed beyond belief!
I called the following day (different shift, different people) and got the same answer. Two weeks passed and I found myself back at Kinko's. I asked if they had a lost and found.
They brought out a HUGE box chock full of papers, computer disks, one cell phone, computer cables, and several hundred family photos that were left behind like my album (which wasn't there). I returned the box to the counter and thanked the lady behind the counter.
"What did you lose?" she inquired. I told her it was a Christmas album.
A quick twinkle of the eye from the lady. "Wait a minute..."
She disappeared into the back room and came back out with my album! I was overjoyed!
"I thought I saw it back there..." she said as I interrupted her with a few thousand "thank you's" and even a little jumping up and down. I brought the album home and all was well with the world.
A great ending to this story, yes? WAIT... there's more.
A week later, I was on another search and rescue mission at a local Goodwill store when I found another copy of the SAME album (pictured right)!
However, this version was the original 1965 release with the word "STEREO" prominently displayed! Both the album and covers were in great shape and I wasn't complaining about the 25 cent price tag.
In both cases, the music of Earl Grant is great to listen to - the perfect organ album to listen to when warming by the fire with some cocoa in your hands.
This is a great light Christmas organ album He's not a virtuoso like Jimmy McGriff or a Jimmy Smith on the organ but his stylings (and his singing) are just perfect.
My favorite track on the album has to be "Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep" where Grant foregoes the organ and plays this one on the piano, bringing this Irving Berlin song to life instrumentally!
There you have it. I have two versions of the same album. You can choose whatever version you wish:
Last year at FaLaLaLaLa, I began my career in Christmas sharity. One of these shares was a 45 single of "Winter Wonderland" and "Up On The Housetop" by Ken Griffin that I had just acquired from my in-laws record collection.
If you look at the Rondo label of "Winter Wonderland", the credited songwriter is Irving Berlin! Fact checking wasn't a huge priority in the music industry back in the 1950s obviously.
When I typed out the description for that record, I didn't know who Ken Griffin was. I did some Google searches for background information and the like. At the time, I stated that Ken released two Christmas albums:
+ Christmas Organ And Chimes (Rondo-Lette A-40), 1950/1951 + The Organ Plays At Christmas (Columbia CL-692), 1959
Some new research informs us that Griffin did indeed release a Christmas album entitled "Merry Christmas (Organ And Chimes)" (Rondo RLP-10) in 1951. It was a 10" LP that I haven't found... yet!
This Rondo website claims that Eric Silver was the actual credited artist on the "Christmas Organ And Chimes" (Rondo-Lette A-40) released in 1958. The album you are looking at in Rondo-Lette A-38 and was released in 1959 - the same year as the Columbia release listed above.
I don't understand it either.
Want more confusion? One half of the tracks on this album are simply Ken Griffin playing Christmas tunes on the organ, the other half is INDEED organ and chimes! I personally enjoy the solo organ tracks on this album - it places you at a 1940s skating rink at Christmas time when you listen. Considering Griffin got his start playing at roller rinks probably didn't hurt either!
Here is yet another Christmas organ music album for my collection. If you're keeping score at home, this is the FOURTEENTH album of the organ variety that I've added since last year.
Wurlitzers, Kimballs, and Lowerys... oh my!
If you've ever thumbed through a stack of Goodwill or Salvation Army albums in one of their stores, chances are you've seen this album. I have seen two different album covers for this one personally and wouldn't be surprised if there were others.
Released by Caroleer Records in 1964, this one features one Alexander Goodrich playing your favorite Christmas tunes.
I wish I could add more. Google searches lead nowhere on either Alexander Goodrich and Caroleer Records.
As for the music, this is about as straight as you can get without an ounce of soul or rhythm. Adding chimes only serve to awaken those who might fall asleep during the tracks. Every public domain song is captured here because chances are Caroleer Records couldn't afford the ASCAP licenses for other Christmas songs. You get a collection of Christmas music that your aunt Sophie could play better - even if she was schlossed with eggnog.
The cover is about the best thing for the entire album. When is the last time you saw a hunk of mistletoe that big hung anywhere? PhotoShop the words off and you've got a pretty fun looking Christmas couple.
This is still available to download over at BongoBells but do yourself a favor - get some of the other great albums he has to offer there. Bongo, you've taken a true vinyl bin staple and preserved it forever. I'm not sure if you ought to be congratulated or not but it's the effort that you put in that I salute. Keep up the great work!
On to the next new Christmas CD in my collection...
In a yuleblog entry yesterday, I mentioned that Christmas organ music was now the largest subgenre in my collection.
As I thumbed through the remaining stack of albums that I downloaded at Ernie (not Bert)'s blog last year (a mere 12 remaining from a tower of 35+ CDs), yet another CD stared at me containing Christmas organ music.
But organ music in the hands of Sy Mann, then it becomes something that deserves special attention. If the name Sy Mann sounds familiar, that's because he was one of the main forces behind "Switched On Santa" - one of the top five Christmas albums of all time.
Mann's musical education began quite young - at the age of six to be exact. His sister would hit wrong notes on her cello as she practiced and Sy would correct her by playing the right notes on the family piano!
Sy was studying music at New York University when World War II began. He quickly enlisted and spent most of his four year stint in the Army either composing, arranging, or playing in various Army and USO bands.
After WWII ended, Sy began a remarkable thirty year run in the music industry: playing in Benny Goodman's band, radio station WNEW's in-house pianist & arranger, a move to television as Arthur Godfrey's pianist, and a varied recording career not only as a pianist but also on vibraphone, trumpet, harpsichord, organ, clavietta, the Ondioline, and the Moog.
This album was recorded on the Palace label (date unknown - best guesses anyone?) and features not only Sy at the Wurlitzer but chimes as an accent. It's not his best work or the album he'll be long remembered for, but he plays so well that you get hooked from the first note on. The standout track is Sy's rendition of "Jingle Bells" - it makes you feel like you're riding in the one horse open sleigh!
I should mention the back cover. I guess Palace couldn't print the lyrics to "White Christmas" because it meant even more royalties to Irving Berlin for the pleasure. AIso, they simply added the lyrics on the back and never put the songs in the correct order on the album! In order:
1.) White Christmas 2.) Adeste Fideles 3.) Silent Night 4.) Joy To The World 5.) It Came Upon A Midnight Clear 6.) Away In A Manger 7.) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 8.) Jingle Bells 9.) O Little Town Of Bethlehem 10.) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 11.) The First Noel 12.) Deck The Halls 13.) We Three Kings 14.) Good King Wenceslas
According to SpaceAgePop.com, Mann recorded another Christmas album with the Artie Malvin Carolers on the Palace label. No date is given on this album as well. However, I do know that the title of the album is "Let's All Sing Christmas Carols". I found this album at a Goodwill store and plan on sharing it this upcoming Christmas after I restore the hideous back cover via PhotoShop.
On to the next new Christmas CD in my collection...
As I type these words, my mind is playing tricks with me. You may not know it but this addition to my Christmas music collection is a very significant one and I'm not sure how to react to it.
The largest subgenre in my collection was Hawaiian Christmas music. Thirteen albums. Solo artists like Don Ho and Willie K. Groups like The Waikikis, The Blue Hawaiians, and Na Leo Pilimehana.
If you didn't catch it, I said this WAS the largest subgenre.
Christmas organ music skyrocketed to the top this year. From November 2005 to present, I have added TWELVE different organ albums to my collection. Looking at my albums-to-be-shared-at-Christmas pile, there's another three Christmas organ albums awaiting addition to my collection. This is not counting the half dozen or so Christmas organ albums I'll probably download this upcoming holiday season.
I'm surrounded by Hammond B-3s, Wurlitzers, Kimballs, and Lowrey organs and they're all playing Christmas music. Why not? Most moviegoers of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s can remember house organists playing before, sometimes during, and after movies at their theaters.
George Wright was one of those organists. He began his career in the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1930s, working movies houses in both Oakland and San Fran. As a result, he landed the prime job of organist of the ornate Fox Theater and a radio show of his own at the beginning of WWII.
He later moved to New York City in 1944, where he played the organ at the legendary Paramount Theater for legendary jazz and pop stars such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frankie Laine. It was also at this time that Wright began his recording career on the King Records label, releasing many 78 RPM records.
However, California beckoned George to come home in 1950. He settled into Los Angeles and never moved again - even had a mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ installed in his new home. He found a new job on the soap opera "General Hospital" (Ellen to Roger: "I'm pregnant!" =CUE DRAMATIC SOAP OPERA MUSIC= - that was him!) and in 1956, he signed with HiFi Records. In his first year with HiFi, he recorded five albums - one of which is this very album.
This recording is 50 years old but sounds as fresh as the day it was recorded. It's a remarkable album, especially if you close your eyes and play it at full volume. You'll hear plenty of Wurlitzer and Wright's playing will even make you think you're hearing a Moog machine!
The standout tracks include "Toyland", "Deck The Halls", "Christmas Fantasy" (a 7:17 medley feast of organ music) and you'll never hear a better non-orchestra version of "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" anywhere.
Wright continued to record albums on various record labels - one label named Banda was started by a close friend of George's for the express purpose of recording George Wright albums! George also gained a cult-sized following who followed him (even booked him) to concerts across the country, even swapping different pieces of an organ for Wright's Wurlitzer back home.
In 1990, George recorded a brand new Christmas CD entitled "Merry Christmas". This album features 17 different songs (most Christmas) with Wright playing the Hollywood Philharmonic Wurlitzer. Click on the link if you want to order the CD... I'm adding it to my Santa list.
George Wright completed his last album entitled "Salon" in March, 1998 and died 60 days later. He is generally considered the greatest theater organist of all time.
After researching and reading this yuleblog entry, I don't feel too bad anymore about the largest subgenre in my collection. Quite proud, actually.
On to the next new Christmas CD in my collection...
I was originally planning to post a stereo version of "Woody The Woodchuck - Christmas Sing Song" today, ending my Christmas in July celebration. However, the album you are looking might be my vinyl find of the year. It carries much significance because it was much sought after (by me at least), involves our good friend Ernie (not Bert), and in ways crystalizes what our royal highness, the King Of Jingaling, wanted to do when he started FaLaLaLaLa.com.
You might be scratching your head wondering what I'm talking about but go with me here... read on and all will be revealed.
Ethel Smith was a graduate of Carnegie Tech who majored in music and language (she was fluent in French, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and German) whose talents at the piano led her to movie houses, theaters, then vaudeville tours. Along the way, she worked at department stores demonstrating organs and became so proficient that she strictly played the organ from then on.
Around WWII, she toured Brazil and Argentina extensively (the languages helped no doubt). One night, she was in "a cheap dance hall" and came across a combo trio playing a certain song. She had never heard it before, quickly adapted it to her act, and brought it with her back to the United States. America's musical tastes were very South American at this time (Carmen Miranda was HUGELY popular at this time) and when Ethel played this song, crowds went wild.
The song was "Tico-Tico". Decca Records signed Ethel to a recording contract and her recording was a smash. Suddenly, Hollywood came calling. She appeared in many movie musicals of the day - including a memorable turn in the 1948 Disney movie "Melody Time" with Donald Duck and Jose (Joe) Carioca. Ethel plays "Blame It On The Samba" on the big Hammond organ (you also see her play bongos and dance) as the tune gets faster and faster. Ethel plays furiously to keep up while Donald and Joe stick dynamite under her pedals and blows the organ up!
For the next decade, Smith recorded nearly 30 albums and dozens of singles for Decca Records. Her first foray into Christmas music was in 1950 when she recorded a box of four 45 singles and called it "Christmas Songs" (Decca 9-92). A majority of these songs were released on a 2-EP set called "Christmas Music" (Decca ED 558) somewhere between 1951 and 1954. Finally, Decca repackaged this music one more time in 1955 on its very own LP called "Christmas Music" (Decca DL-8187).
By the end of the 1950s, two things happened to Decca Records that involved Ethel Smith. The first event was Ethel was appearing more and more in nightclubs and on television in acting roles. Smith gave up her organ for acting full time and her contract with Decca ended. The second event was Decca had relaunched Vocalion, a long defunct record label, to issue budget releases from its bulging catalog.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Vocalion churned out repackaged albums full of songs by great artists like Louis Armstrong, Peggy Lee, Bing Crosby, and Ethel Smith but never printed the year of release on any of their albums, record labels, or sleeves. They could recall their product at any time, box it up, and resell it at a future time.
Thankfully, the official website of Peggy Lee has an extensive discography and shows that a Vocalion release by Lee ("Crazy In The Heart" VL-73903) was released in March, 1970. Using this information, I have determined that this Ethel Smith album (VL-73882) was most likely released for the Christmas season of 1969.
I had been searching for Ethel's "Christmas Music" LP for quite some time and didn't want to pay the $20 - $30 that I had seen it for on eBay. So when I discovered this album for 10 cents at a garage sale, I nearly passed out.
As I was driving home, I remembered that Ernie had posted some Ethel Smith tracks as part of his Christmas in July celebration and he too was looking for the full album. Ernie, thanks for helping all of us and myself celebrate the yuletide early.
If if hadn't been for the King Of Jingaling setting up FaLaLaLaLa.com two years ago, I would have never met Ernie. Ernie and myself truly believe in the King's mission statement - "Preserving Memories Of Christmas Vinyl Past". You have been sorely missed this Christmas In July, mighty King, whilest thou sets up your new palatial digs and pray for thy speedy return to reign over your kingdom.
This album is dedicated to both Ernie and The King Of Jingaling:
This album comes from the great download catch of 2005 from the blog of Ernie (Not Bert).
To quote from Ernie:
Tonight's LP is from the well-known duo of Buddy And Bunny Burden. You say you've never heard of them? How can that be? Perhaps you didn't hang out in Gatlinburg in the sixties.
"OK, so these two might not be a household name, but after you listen to their record, you might decide to spread their name a little further afield. I have yet to figure out exactly what Bunny brings to the table.
"Sure, she looks nice there on the cover, but there's not a peep from her on this record. She's not even mentioned on the back cover. And did I mention I think Buddy is wearing the same tuxedo that my dad was married in?
"Of course he didn't have the snazzy haircut. And if you know anything more about these two, please drop me a line. Thanks!
I'm sorry to report that after much searching and Googling, I couldn't find anything about these two either. It's a pity because they left such a cool Christmas album to boot.
If you're a fan of Christmas organ music (and who isn't these days?), then this record is right up your alley. Recorded at the Ski Lodge in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (save your time - I tried Googling "Ski Lodge Gatlinburg" and got nowhere), Buddy tears it up on the organ playing all your favorite Christmas favorites - hence the name of the album.
Three standout tracks on this album - "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" really rocks and swings as does "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer". "Christmas Polka" runs around 1:30 and is quite a ride - more polkaish than Christmasish but it's a lot of fun!
As Ernie stated, Buddy is credited on the organ on this album and poor Bunny is simply pictured on the front. Maybe Bunny was a talented performer - plays drums, guitar, even accordian behind Buddy.
Either way, we here at the yuleblog want to salute Buddy & Bunny Burden. Thanks for a fun Christmas album, wherever you are!
On to the next new Christmas CD in my collection...
When Ernie offered this very album at his blog many months ago, my heart nearly skipped a beat... in 3/4 time!
To quote from Ernie's original post:
"Once upon a time, everyone had a piano in their home. Later, people had organs in their homes. Nowadays, we have CD players and TVs and iPods and Sega.
"But back to the organs for a sec. This LP was designed to help sell those organs. I don't know if this was given away to customers, or sold in the organ stores, or what, but the ultimate goal was to get you to buy an organ from Kimball so that you could play like the artists on this record."
One of my uncles went out and did exactly that one year. He was lured into a local mall outlet where the salesmen, resplendent in their polyester slacks, sat behind desks and occasionally behind a keyboard to show you the ease of playing the organ. After selling you an organ, they ask "can you play?" If not, they would sell you "how to play the organ" accessories, a maintenance plan in case anything went wrong with the organ, etc..
My uncle plunked down a good chunk of change, bought the organ home, fiddled with it for about three days, and gave up on the whole mess. The only time it was used was around Christmas when actual family members with talent came and played on the organ. It stayed in his home near Chicago for more years than I can remember.
Speaking of Chicago, that's where Kimball got it's start (nice segue into the history lesson, no?). In 1857, W.W. Kimball was tired of selling real estate and insurance in Iowa and moved to Chicago to open a piano store. He realized that people were moving west and would soon be setting up homes and families. What better way to establish a home than with a new piano?
For the next one hundred years (100!), Kimball sold and manufactured pianos, then organs, by the thousands and shipped them out from Chicago to all over the world. At its peak, it was making 250 pianos and 150 organs a day!
In 1959, the Kimball company was sold to a cabinet company out of Jasper, Indiana called the Jasper Corporation. It moved its operations from Chicago to the Jasper / West Baden Springs / French Lick area in southern Indiana where the materials for building /assembling pianos and organs were close by.
They continued to prosper - Kimball Electronics was formed in 1961 and purchasing the Austrian piano manufacturer Bosendorfer in 1966. Jasper renamed themselves Kimball International in 1974 and bought the U.S. piano manufacturer Krakauer in 1980.
This album was released in 1982 and features several big shots at Kimball ("Organ Product Coordinator at Kimball International", "Administrative Sales Manager for Recording and Broadcast", "Kimball Director of Musical Evaluation") playing tunes on two of their new organs - The Enterprise model and the Xanadu model - flashes of bad late 1970s movies!
The standout track on this album is Track #1 - Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers. If there was ever a Christmas tune designed for a home organ, this is it. It has never sounded better. Other great tunes included "Mary's Little Boy Chile", "Blue Christmas" done in a country twangy feel (on a Kimball organ?), and a very synthesized "O Holy Night".
Kimball stayed with the piano and organs throughout the 1980s while other piano and organ manufacturers like Hammond and Wurlitzer got into the synthesizer business to compete with Casio, Yamaha, and others. It proved to be a poor decision.
Kimball Electronics quickly put out a synthesizer (the EK-61) but also began dabbling in circuit boards and car electronic parts. The cabinetry that once wrapped around a set of keys began making custom office furniture, quickly branching over into executive office furniture and modular office furniture.
There was no room left to make pianos and organs. In 1996, Kimball announced they would cease production on both and the last keyboards rolled off the assembly lines in 1997. Kimball International continues to produce all of the above and has even gotten into contract manufacturing as well. If you want a peek, click on Kimball.com.
I always loved playing with the Kimball whenever I visited my uncle's house. There were white and red pedals above the keyboard that had names like "treble", "swell to choir", and "harmonium" that I pushed incessantly like I was a NASA engineer at Mission Control. I wonder if my uncle would be willing to part with it... My kids would love it!
On to the next new Christmas CD in my collection...
Outside of the Philadelphia area, many people probably haven't heard of Larry Ferrari. This talented chap played the organ at several differnt Philly churches and on many local Philly television shows.
"The Larry Ferrari Show" began on Sunday nights in 1954, with Larry looking directly into the camera, playing pop favorites on the organ, and ending each show with a religious selection. His final broadcast was in 1997 - a remarkable 43 year run for a guy and his organ!
This album was created in the early 1960s and features Larry playing his favorite Christmas songs on the Rodgers Theatre Organ. If you ever roller skated to Christmas organ music at any point in your life, this is what it sounded like!
Each song has that wonderful Wurlitzer sound to it and Larry plays a mean organ! This is especially true in the several medleys performed on the album. He zips through "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Jingle Bells", and "Frosty The Snowman" so vividly I expected to look outside and see snow, Christmas decorations, and reindeer in my lawn (actually I do... my neighbor's still haven't taken down their Christmas gear yet!).
This was an especially good year for Christmas organ albums for me. I've collected in the past six months:
The good folks over at the Department Of Records blog were kind enough to post this album over at FaLaLaLaLa.com last December. If you hurry over to the DOR blog, you might catch a Christmas MP3 leftover or two. Thanks DOR!
On to the next new Christmas album in my collection...
Back in the late 1940s, Jimmy Smith was just another WWII vet, attending the Hamilton School of Music on the GI Bill. As he progressed into a fairly good R&B piano player, a fellow piano player named "Wild" Bill Davis introduced Smith to a new instrument: the Hammond B-3 organ.
Smith paid a local Hammond organ dealer $1 an hour to practice on the instrument. Working in jazz, gospel, and R&B to create "soul-jazz", Jimmy soon became a revolutionary figure in music and was crowned "King of The Hammond B-3 Organ".
After Jimmy's successful 10 year run on Blue Note Records ended, he went to work on the Verve label and as the title of this album states, indeed it was Christmas '64 when it was released.
As I type these words, I'm listening to the CD on my computer. I wish there were words to describe what I'm listening to! From the first drumbeats on the timpani and orchestra, you are drawn in. Jimmy then hooks you with incredible licks on the organ, locking you in place!
The whole album is so sweeping, jarring, and in-your-face! And it's great Christmas music as well! Where else can you find a rocking 5:22 version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"?
This CD was my steal of the season! Released shortly before Christmas last year, only one Fort Wayne store carried this CD at the low, low price of $22.99! Copies of this CD were selling on eBay in the $15 - $20 range. I found this at a used CD store near Chicago for $5.00! Watch for this one next Christmas; no Christmas collection should be without it!
