First up ... one we've received about a dozen requests for this past week alone ... it's a Texas Christmas Favorite ... and one of ours, too!
It's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Vince Vance and the Valiants. (The better-known song of the same title by Mariah Carey has been ALL over the radio this season ... and it's a GREAT track. In fact, our daughter won the solo on that one when her school chorus performed it as part of their Christmas Program this past week! Yay, Paige!!!)
The Vince Vance track has been circulating for years ... but one of our readers points out that Vince was NOT the first artist to do it ...
Vince Vance & Valiants - All I Want For Christmas Is You - a Dallas favorite - not the same as the Mariah Carey classic
Although I love the version of this song by the Valiants, many might not remember it was first sung by Johnny Maestro and Larry Chance. Thought you might enjoy this version also.
Carrie
And let's not forget a couple of FH Holiday Favorites from last season ... you can find Davie Allan's "Fuzz For The Holidays" on his website ... it includes "Winter Song", a rare VOCAL performance by Davie!
Click here: Davie Allan and The Arrows
The Rip Chords gave us "Hot Rod Holiday" last year ... it, too, is available on their website:
Click here: The Rip Chords on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
Hey Kent ...
All of us in The Rip Chords want to wish you and our Forgotten Hits friends a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thanks for all of your support these past years! We're looking forward to more years of the best rock and roll there is ... the kind we all love and talk about here at Forgotten Hits.
Here's our newest Holiday song ..."HOT ROD HOLIDAY" ... which is included on the new Collectables Records CD, "CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA".
Happy Hot Rod Holiday Everyone!!!
The Rip Chords ...
Richie Rotkin
Arnie Marcus
Mitch Schecter
Freddy Brog
Bobby Scammell
And Freddy Cannon was spreading HIS holiday cheer last year, too!
Click here: Freddy Boom Boom Cannon's Home Page
And THIS was a nice surprise ... a holiday greeting from Chicago Radio Legend Bob Dearborn!
All the very best to you in 2010!
Bob Dearborn
As you can see, we're getting ALL kinds of Christmas videos, too!!! (lol)
YouTube - You Ain't Getting Sh*t For Christmas - Red Peters
(submitted by Talk2Me)
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW to watch a rare CHARLIE GRACIE PBS CHRISTMAS SEGMENT from a few years back. Philly's first rock 'n' roll star performs "Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me" and "Jingle Bell Rock." Enjoy! (By the way, that's radio legend Harvey Holiday who's hosting this program.)
Charlie Gracie, Jr.
Click here: YouTube - Charlie Gracie Christmas
Tommy Conwell - Kinda Christmasy
Check out this Holiday video featuring Tommy Conwell:
Click here: YouTube - Tommy Conwell - Kinda Christmasy
From the CD, "Season's Greetings Philadelphia", check out Tommy's music video for his song, "Kinda Christmasy".
Produced, mixed & engineered by George Manney @ Geo Sound Studios in Philadelphia.
Video produced by George Manney.
http://www.GeoSound.org
Available online at iTunes & CD Baby:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sgp
"Season's Greetings Philadelphia"
18 song holiday compilation promises to be fun for the entire family featuring all Philadelphia artists including Marah, Tommy Conwell, Buzz Zeemer, Rolling Hayseeds , Mark Boyce Combo, Eltro, John Flynn and 10 other great artists.
Mostly Originals. All tracks C-Produced by George Manney.
A Record Cellar release.
Here's a couple more from Steve Knuettel ...
First up ... Dion's take on "Jingle Bell Rock" ...
Followed by "A Not So Merry Christmas" by one of your FH Favorites, Bobby Vee
As a long time lover of pop music I’ve always been curious about the story behind the song. Knowing that many of you feel the same way, I’d like to share the story behind “I Lose it When I Hear 'White Christmas'", a new song that I wrote with Toni Wine (“Groovy Kind of Love”, “Candida”), which is on the Tony Orlando and Dawn “Reunion” album.
In 1995, after 20 years of being in the music business as a singer, songwriter, producer, being an exec at April-Blackwood, Warner Brothers music, and running Irving / Almo, I had become too weak to even hold a guitar. Finally, I could no longer work at Allan Rinde’s legendary Chinese restaurant in Hollywood, Genghis Cohen, [which I named and hosted off and on for ten years].
When I kept falling down in the street, I knew that something was seriously wrong with me! I was uninsured, and was facing this crisis all alone. My two closest friends, Allan Rinde, was spending more and more time in Nashville with his fiance, Toni Wine … and Patti Dahlstrom had moved back to Houston to teach music and critical thinking at the Art Institute of Houston. I had taken to wearing all black, as I stumbled around the back streets of Hollywood, hoping I wouldn’t see anybody that I knew. I felt, for the first time in my life, that I had reached the end of the road.
Fortunately, Patti was in town for a conference, and came over to visit. I didn’t want her to see me broke and broken … but now I’m glad I did. She convinced me to swallow my pride, and seek help from social services, which saved my life! I went to the USC medical center for two days of tests, and they kept me for three weeks.
It was a few days before Christmas, I was in a ward with many who were far worse off than me … and we did our best to keep each others’ spirits up. Somehow, I lost my phone book, and the only numbers that I could remember was my Mother's, who had moved to West Virginia, and that my long time friend Alan O’Day, who was on his way out of town.
It’s a policy of most hospitals to send as many patients home for the holidays to be with their family and friends as are able. Soon, I was the only one left in the ward, since I had nowhere else to go. One lonely night, as I sat feeling sorry for myself, I heard a group down the hall, singing Christmas carols. I followed the voices to the childrens' ward … where I heard the joyous sounds of “Jingle Bells”. It was the Salvation Army, passing out toys and candy, and singing to the kids, who were confined to their beds. I joined in on “Silent Night”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, and “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer”, but when they started singing “White Christmas” tears started running down my face and I had to sit in another room to compose myself. This song, written by Irving Berlin, always brings back memories of family and friends in a snow covered New York City, blanketing me with emotions.
Ten years later, I told Toni Wine (whom I’ve known since she was 14) this story ... and showed her some lyrics I had written that night: “I Lose it When I Hear 'White Christmas'”.
She loved it, but wanted to make the story more universal. Over two writing sessions, which we started on Irving Berlin’s piano (which Toni bought many years ago), here's what we came up with …
”If you want to hear the Tony Orlando and Dawn recording click: http://artiewayne.com/I_Lose_It.html
If you like it, please feel to share it with a friend … if you love it, however, feel free to share it with your entire address book!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and best of holidays, from Artie Wayne On The Web ENJOY TO THE WORLD!
Copyright 2009 by Artie Wayne from his forthcoming book, “I Did It For A Song” http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/about-artie-wayne/
Thanks, Artie ... this is a GREAT story and a very beautiful song. (Tony sounds a little bit like Randy Newman on this one!) And it's a magnificient arrangement, too. It's from the recently released Tony Orlando and Dawn "Reunion" album, available now through Amazon.com. (kk)
Thanks Kent ... glad you like. Michael Omartian arranged, produced it and played piano on it.
Regards,
Artie
Well, it's OFFICIALLY my Favorite New Christmas Song of 2009!!! Been playing it over and over again ... wtg, Artie!!! (kk)
We'll have more Christmas magic coming your way tomorrow ... stay tuned!
