Hi All!
Maybe it’s just me, but it sure seems like this year’s Christmas season zipped by and faster than usual! I can’t believe that Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s are behind us (and that it’s Elvis’ birthday already)!
Thanks so much to everyone that tuned in to the Sounds of Christmas this year. It was another record-setting year, edging us even closer to that five million listener mark! I had a wonderful time, sharing the season with so many, both new friends and old.
I’d like to give a special thanks to Shelby Lynne and Lauren Willig. They sponsored us this year, helping to make our broadcast possible. When you get a chance, please take a moment to check out Shelby’s music and Lauren’s books!
And if you’ve already picked up Shelby’s CD “Merry Christmas”, you can still keep an eye (and ear) out for her, as she makes her tour plans for the year. In fact, she already has some dates set for this month and next month, so check her website to find out when she’s coming somewhere near you!
And if you already picked up Lauren’s latest book, “The Mischief of the Mistletoe”, you can keep an eye out of the next Pink Carnation book, “The Orchid Affair”, which is due out in just a couple weeks!
I’d also like to thank all of the singers and bands who appeared on the new show “Meet The Artist” this year, including Paul Barrere of Little Feat, Emil Bishaw, Mike Conley, Roy Holliday, Luanne Hunt, Sandy Kastel, Larry King from Soleil Moon, Tina Lambert, Shelby Lynne, Rachel and Rollyn from Maeve, Dan Navarro, Judy Pancoast, Rich and Pete from the Rich Collective, Bunny Sigler, Carolyn Sills, Bob Sirois, Ryan and Dan from Sleeping At Last, Terry and Mike from the Swamp Coolers, Ray Walker from the Jordanaires, Barry Winslow from the Royal Guardsmen, Whitney Wolanin, Krysta Youngs, and Johnny Adams and Ron Cooley from Mannheim Steamroller (and Adams & Cooley).
Thanks also to everyone that has supported these artists, as well as others that I played on the Sounds of Christmas this year. And an extra thanks to those that have picked up CDs or downloaded songs from my record label, either through our website (http://www.socmusic.net/) or on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, etc. I won’t have numbers in for that until another month or so, but hopefully we did well enough to come back next year with even more new music!
Usually, at this point, I would give you a list of the top twenty (or twenty-five) songs from the past week. Since this is the end of the season, and since I had so many songs on the station this year, I thought instead I’d give you a list of the top one hundred songs…
1) Weezer “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”
2) Chi-Lites “It’s The Time”
3) BarlowGirl “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”
4) Amy Grant “Baby It’s Christmas”
5) Mindy Smith “It Really Is (A Wonderful Life)”
6) Chris Rea “Driving Home For Christmas”
7) U2 “I Believe In Father Christmas”
8 ) Vince Guaraldi Trio “Linus And Lucy”
9) Melissa Etheridge “Christmas In America”
10) Beatles “Another Christmas Record” (1964)
11) Michael W. Smith “Christmas Angels”
12) Kimberley Locke “Last Christmas”
13) Lisa Kessler “Merry Christmas Darling”
14) GlasVegas “A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss)”
15) NRBQ “Christmas Wish”
16) Dean Martin “Silver Bells”
17) Tina Lambert “O Come All Ye Faithful”
18) Neil Diamond “A Cherry Cherry Christmas”
19) Carl Palmer “Nutrocker”
20) Jack Jones “Mistletoe and Holly”
21) Shelby Lynne “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”
22) Persephone’s Bees “Sleigh Ride”
23) Roomful Of Blues “Christmas Celebration:
24) Lisa Kessler “Perfect Christmas Night”
25) Pledge Drive “Christmas Rhapsody”
26) Brian McKnight with Vince Gill “Christmas You And Me”
27) Trans-Siberian Orchestra “A Mad Russian’s Christmas”
28) Huey Lewis and the News “Winter Wonderland”
29) Orleans “New Star Shining”
30) Tina Lambert “Carol Of The Bells”
31) Weezer “The First Noel”
32) Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs “Special Time Of Year”
33) Jackie Wilson “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”
34) Vertical Horizon “I Believe In Father Christmas”
35) Harry Connick Jr. “When My Heart Finds Christmas”
36) Frankie Laine “You’re All I Want For Christmas”
37) Judy Pancoast “The House On Christmas Street”
38) Eels “Christmas Is Going To The Dogs”
39) Carpenters “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”
40) Tina Lambert “Angels We Have Heard On High”
41) Smithereens “Christmas Time All Over The World”
42) She and Him (with Conan O’Brien) “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
43) Randy Bachman “Happy Christmas”
44) Outlaws “Run Rudolph Run”
45) Neil Diamond “Deck The Halls/We Wish You A Merry Christmas”
46) Lisa Kessler “Christmas Vacation”
47) Johnny Mathis “Caroling, Caroling/Happy Holiday”
48) Gloria Estefan “Christmas Through Your Eyes”
49) Bing Crosby “Mele Kalikimaka”
50) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers “Christmas All Over Again”
51) My Chemical Romance “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
52) Aimee Mann “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”
53) U2 “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
54) Belinda Carlisle “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”
55) Trans-Siberian Orchestra “Remember”
56) Three Aces And A Joker “Sleigh Bell Rock”
57) Elvis Presley “Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees”
58) Mannheim Steamroller “Traditions Of Christmas”
59) Beatles “Christmas Time Is Here Again”
60) Chase Stevens “First Christmas Apart”
61) Moya Brennan “Gabriel’s Message”
62) Michael Buble “The Christmas Song”
63) Luscious Jackson “Let It Snow”
64) Josh Groban “O Holy Night”
65) Lisa Kessler “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
66) Elvis Presley “Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)”
67) Bonnie Raitt and Charles Brown “Merry Christmas Baby”
68) Joe Perry “Run Rudolph Run”
69) Diana Krall “The Man With The Bag”
70) Muppets “It Feels Like Christmas”
71) General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
72) Danny Elfman “What’s This?”
73) Frank Sinatra “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day”
74) Eric Cartman “Swiss Colony Beef Log”
75) Dennis DeYoung “When I Hear A Christmas Song”
76) December People “Angels We Have Heard On High”
77) Carrie Underwood “The First Noel”
78) Sixpence None The Richer “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”
79) Sammy Davis Jr. “The Christmas Song”
80) Ray Charles “Christmas In My Heart”
81) Pomplamoose “Always In The Season”
82) LA Guns “Little Saint Nick”
83) Jason Mraz “Winter Wonderland”
84) Blues Traveler “Christmas”
85) Zoe Bentley and Canadian Brass “Very Merry Christmas”
86) Yule Logs “Christmas Lights”
87) Wizzard “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday”
88) Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy”
89) Tina Lambert “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”
90) Richard Marx “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”
91) Martina McBride “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
92) James Brown “Santa Claus Is Definitely Here To Stay”
93) Eels “Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas”
94) James Taylor “Deck The Halls”
95) Kathy Sledge “The Christmas Waltz”
96) Eddie Money and Ronnie Spector “Everybody Loves Christmas”
97) Louis Armstrong “Cool Yule”
98) Moya Brennan “Joy To The World”
99) Perry Como “That Christmas Feeling”
100) Royal Crown Revue “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus”
That’s not a bad list, though since I have over 6000 songs in the Sounds of Christmas library now, that’s really just the tip of the iceberg!
Thanks again for your support! And if you know someone that loves Christmas music, please do send them my way!
Have a great 2011! And may you always believe in Santa Claus!
Ken
