CHRISTMAS : HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU

 
 
WISHING ALL OUR FRIENDS HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

ELVIS PRESLEY : IF EVERY DAY WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS

This YouTube poster did a great job of giving the history of this song, written by Red West, and performed by Elvis, and the Youtube video is original and of excellent sound quality!

To quote him, "Elvis Presley - If Every Day Was Like Christmas (1966), the last holiday single Elvis ever released, was written by a childhood friend, Red West. The Imperials Quartet and the Jordanaires are providing the backing vocals. Elvis recorded it on June 10, 1966 at RCAs Nashville studios. The single release in November 15, 1966 (If Every Day Was Like Christmas - How Would You Like To Be), it has been credited for selling over 1,000,000 copies. Red West wrote "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" in 1965 and recorded his own version on the Brent label, which was his own label, named after his son. Although the writing credits on the label show Red West's own name, the artist is shown as Bobby West. 2,000 copies were pressed and sold locally in the Memphis area around Christmas 1965."

FROM OUR ARCHIVES : ELVIS INTO THE HOLIDAYS : POST 208

(206) ELVIS INTO THE HOLIDAYS

My friend Elvis Presley lived in Los Angeles during the years he was making movies. His houses in the early 1960's were party houses he rented in Bel Air. I was a frequent guest there, welcome to stay entire weekends if it suited me and often it did. I had some of the best times of my life there.

Of course Elvis loved his family a great deal and when he was feeling sentimental for the South, he would head for Graceland TM for the holidays. Perhaps for that reason there is no better time of the year to see the house than decorated for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Elvis I knew was a dichotomy in his way. He was a famous Rock and Roller and a sensualist, but also a Gospel Singer, a devout believer in Christ, with great loyalty to family and his family of friends. To be part of his musical Rock and Roll family at the house was a honor.

BLUE CHRISTMAS : 1964 : BRIAN WILSON OF THE BEACH BOYS SINGING

Thanks to one of our YouTube friends we decided to post this music video, singer-songwriter, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys covering a Christmas classic. (Brian recorded Ersel Hickey's Blue Birds Over the Mountains.)

Just heard that the Beach Boys are regrouping to do a 50th Anniversary Tour! So we're linking to a news article that gives the details! Brian Wilson is well enough to tour and we're glad to hear it!

FROM OUR ARCHIVES (286) FRANKIE AVALON : YOU'RE ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

FROM OUR ARCHIVES (286) FRANKIE AVALON : YOU'RE ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS


Frankie came out with a Christmas album in 1962, after acting in a film called Panic In The Year Zero, a war picture. This smooth romantic song was one of the songs he recorded for the album along with classics. Frankie and his wife have eight children and are still together after all these years.

FERLIN HUSKY and PATSY CLINE LET IT SNOW

Use the Google Search feature embedded in this blog to find past posts about Ferlin Husky!

FROM OUR ARCHIVES : (344) END OF THE YEAR HOLIDAY MUSIC MEMORIES

(344) END OF THE YEAR HOLIDAY MUSIC MEMORIES

Christine remembers that her family brought live trees that waited outside until Christmas eve to be brought indoors and decorated, which is, she tells me, the custom in Central and Eastern Europe, and I was thinking about living surrounded by evergreen trees in the Smokey Mountains where my family lived when I was growing up and I still have so many well loved relatives and friends who I don't get to talking to near enough.

We don't want to rush into Christmas here, but at the same time, as we blogged a while back, CHRISTMAS was the COVER TUNE ERA way back and ever since and that is on topic!

So we looked back upon some of our older posts, discovered that many of the videos we attached were, as happens, expired, and decided we would go ahead and replace those as well as update our Youtube station and represent some of the finest memory music in the Western World!

We hope you'll enjoy listening and remembering with us!

Wes Bryan and Christine Trzyna

BING CROSBY : DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR ?

(351) DARLENE LOVE : A LOVELY PERSON TO WORK WITH : CHRISTMAS 1963

CHRISTMAS 1963

DARLENE LOVE worked a bit for me in the studio and I was lucky to have her because she had success of her own before, after, and during the period that she was a studio background singer! Like many studio singers she went uncredited for much of her work but she still has many noteworthy accomplishments. (I'm proud of my daughter Hollie and the professionalism she brings to studio work as well.)

Darlene sang lead on some of the CRYSTALS songs, produced by PHIL SPECTOR, including "He's a Rebel." She did background vocals for JOEY COOPER'S "I'm a Fool," (A song I co-wrote that we posted a Youtube video of recently). In 1968 she worked with ELVIS PRESLEY on his Welcome Back television special.

We're linking to the HISTORY OF ROCK page for DARLENE LOVE (click on the title) and here is the link for the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME; Darlene has been nominated for induction in 2011: GO TO THE LINK FOR DARLENE ON OUR SIDEBAR!

Though studio musicians and singers are behind the scenes and many never earn the fame of stage and concert performers, they truly contribute to the sound track of our lives. They are often more professional in their attitudes and abilities than some of those who do achieve fame. I come from a time when recording took place quickly and without all the computer equipment that can help turn a mediocre performance into a better one. Darlene is one of those whose voice stood the test of immediacy and of time.

(350) NAT KING COLE THE CHRISTMAS SONG

This song by NAT KING COLE is a classic among classics.


VIDEO REMOVED

(349) FRANKIE AVALON YOU'RE ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

Frankie Avalon recorded more than one song that I was a co-writer on and we're always looking for a Youtube video so we can hear those recordings again. This recording is Frankie in his best voice.

(348) ELVIS PRESLEY IF EVERYDAY WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS

Another song that Elvis recorded that had Red West as a songwriter... Red is doing well late in life as an actor. (You can search for Red in our blog using the Google search feature!)

(347) ELVIS PRESLEY HOLLY LEAVES AND CHRISTMAS TREES

Here is what we said on post 89:

Elvis' recording of Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees is here in this YouTube Video presentation. It was written by entourage member and body guard Red West and another songwriter, Glen Dale Spreen. Elvis published it himself, buying it for his Elvis Presley Music, one of three publishing entities he owned.

Can you tell we're warming up to the holidays here? Well, we think today is the first of the twelve days of Christmas. And Elvis always made a big deal of Christmas, with gifts to others, gifts to The Entourage, gifts to his employees, gifts to his family, gifts to his friends, and gifts to strangers, through generous donations to a great number of charities, mostly Memphis-based.

But for Elvis this spirit of giving had everything to do with his idol, the only idol he ever had, King of all Kings, Jesus Christ.

(346) ELVIS PRESLEY BLUE CHRISTMAS

Here's what we said on post 96:

Elvis' recording of "Blue Christmas," that came out on his Christmas album in 1957 brought forth the Memphis sound he was known for with masculine background vocals and soul.

Elvis would sing this song hundreds of times in his life, and good thing, because he loved it personally.

Now, we've got the hang of posting YouTube video presentations to help illustrate the history of my story, but choosing which one, so you could listen to Elvis' rich baratone in the original version wasn't easy. The one we chose doesn't have any pictures of Elvis and it wasn't made as a "cover" by an Elvis interpreter or impersonator.

... This one is like a living Christmas card though, a real work of art, and with it we say "Merry Christmas," to all of you.

(345) ERNEST TUBB BLUE CHRISTMAS

Here is what we said in post number 95 about Ernest Tubb :

(95) ERNEST TUBB DOES BLUE CHRISTMAS FIRST

Country music star, Ernest Tubb did this song first. The song is more known as Elvis' now, "Blue Christmas."

Guess who owned publishing on it? Sylvester Cross, the owner of American Music, the music publishing company where I worked as a staff songwriter, who also had Cross Music.

My dad's cousin owned a coffee shop - restaurant with a juke box. I used to "pearl dive," wash dishes for him. This was when a juke box was stocked with big 78's. I went around singing "I'm Walking The Floor Over You," and "Blue Christmas," Ernest's hits. Elvis listened to this rendition of his favorite Christmas song too.

(344) END OF THE YEAR HOLIDAY MUSIC MEMORIES

Christine remembers that her family brought live trees that waited outside until Christmas eve to be brought indoors and decorated, which is, she tells me, the custom in Central and Eastern Europe, and I was thinking about living surrounded by evergreen trees in the Smokey Mountains where my family lived when I was growing up and I still have so many well loved relatives and friends who I don't get to talking to near enough.

We don't want to rush into Christmas here, but at the same time, as we blogged a while back, CHRISTMAS was the COVER TUNE ERA way back and ever since and that is on topic!

So we looked back upon some of our older posts, discovered that many of the videos we attached were, as happens, expired, and decided we would go ahead and replace those as well as update our Youtube station and represent some of the finest memory music in the Western World!

We hope you'll enjoy listening and remembering with us!

Wes Bryan and Christine Trzyna

(286) FRANKIE AVALON YOU'RE ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

Frankie came out with a Christmas album in 1962, after acting in a film called Panic In The Year Zero, a war picture. This smooth romantic song was one of the songs he recorded for the album along with classics. Frankie and his wife have eight children and are still together after all these years.

DALE EVANS ROGERS Quote on Christmas

"Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas." - Dale Evans Rogers

(219) PERRY COMO - THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Perry Como was always one of my favorites. He put out a few successful Christmas albums ...PERRY COMO CHRISTMAS ALBUM  link


NEW VIDEO as of APRIL 2014

(89) ELVIS'S RECORDING of RED WEST'S HOLLY LEAVES AND CHRISTMAS TREES

Elvis' recording of Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees is here in this YouTube Video presentation. It was written by entourage member and body guard Red West and another songwriter, Glen Dale Spreen. Elvis published it himself, buying it for his Elvis Presley Music, one of three publishing entities he owned.

Can you tell we're warming up to the holidays here?

Well, we think today is the first of the twelve days of Christmas.

And Elvis always made a big deal of Christmas, with gifts to others, gifts to The Entourage, gifts to his employees, gifts to his family, gifts to his friends, and gifts to strangers, through generous donations to a great number of charities, mostly Memphis-based.

But for Elvis this spirit of giving had everything to do with his idol, the only idol he ever had,

King of all Kings,

Jesus Christ.

VIDEO TAKEN DOWN 2013